Deja Vu
by Scooplet
Summary: Set in the present day. Lee and Amanda are haunted by an old nemesis. Meanwhile, a family tradition continues.
1. Chapter 1

Déjà Vu

Written by Susan Peisker

Concept by Cheryl Sannebeck and Susan Peisker

Scarecrow and Mrs. King characters are the property of Shoot the Moon Productions and Warner Bros. Television. No copyright infringement intended. Not for commercial use.

May 2011

Sarah Stetson peered through the windshield of her Corolla, sheets of rain obscuring her vision. If only she had left a little sooner. It wasn't a long drive from Georgetown to Arlington, but the rain had slowed the Wednesday evening traffic to a crawl and dinner would soon be on the table. She hated being late for Jamie's birthday party, and she needed to talk with her mom or her sister-in-law—someone—tonight.

Her graduate work had kept her busy—too busy to spend the kind of time she longed to spend with her family. Her boyfriend, Jeff, was close by and worked in the same department, but it seemed that their schedules never had synced up very well. When they were together, which had seemed to be more often lately, Jeff wanted to talk about his research. Sarah could not blame him. He was in the midst of a fascinating project on twentieth century political history. When Sarah had gone to his office and asked him to join her tonight, he had begged off, saying he had to cover a class for another instructor.

"_But hey, I still want to get together tomorrow to talk over those pages in your thesis. Maybe we can go to lunch after, instead of eating in like we usually do. There's something I want to talk with you about." As a means of saving money, they often made sandwiches or ordered pizza and stayed at her apartment, her roommates often coming and going while they sat on the couch together._

"_Oh? Another breakthrough in your research?"_

"_This isn't about research. But I'm hoping you'll think it's a breakthrough—sort of." He had smiled knowingly and kissed her cheek. Until the last few weeks, Jeff had not been demonstrative with his affection in front of others. Apparently he really did have something other than his research to talk about. And he wanted to spend some time alone with her._

Things with Jeff seemed to be moving quickly lately; it scared Sarah.

She thought back to the early days of their relationship at New York University. A grad student at the time, Jeff had taken Sarah under his wing when they met during her junior year. At some point they went from being just friends to something more. Sarah had not been entirely certain where their relationship stood until he had gotten the history fellowship at Georgetown University. Sarah had chosen Georgetown for graduate school because she wanted to be near her family again. Flattered by the attention, Sarah went along with Jeff's plan to join her there. Once she had been accepted to the master's program in international history, it only seemed natural that Jeff be her advisor.

Although they kept their relationship a secret, Jeff found ways to romance Sarah whenever he could. _I enjoy spending time with Jeff; he's a thoughtful guy._ They now considered themselves boyfriend and girlfriend, but sometimes Sarah thought that Jeff was more serious about their relationship than she was. She blushed a little. There was a reason they spent time at her apartment and not his. Jeff had no roommates. _At least he hasn't pressured me. I just want to be sure it's the right person the first time. Besides, once I found The One, I always thought I would feel more of a spark—like Mom and Dad have._ Now that Sarah was nearly done with her thesis, Jeff had been acting strangely. He seemed to be keeping a secret, and Sarah wasn't so sure she wanted to know what it was.

A horn blared nearby, startling Sarah out of her reverie. _If only I could just get to the house soon. I need some time alone with Mom or Jennifer,_ she thought. Sarah desperately wanted to talk with her mother or Jamie's wife before she met with Jeff about her thesis.

_Almost done!_ She was so close to really being able to be her own person, working in a career. The internship at the Smithsonian was set to become a permanent position. _How many other grad students could say they had a job waiting in the wings?_ Sarah knew that Jeff was just about as thrilled as she was to have completed her degree.

_Why am I not as excited about the two of us as he is?_ Sarah was looking forward to starting her new job at the Smithsonian._ I've been working there all through grad school. _Sarah remembered how Jeff had made the connections for Sarah even before she finished her undergraduate work in history and international relations at NYU. _I guess we have had our future laid out all along. I just wasn't paying attention, was I?_ A knot formed in Sarah's stomach. _If only I could just get home and talk with Jennifer…_ Both Philip and Jamie and their families would be there this evening. Instant friends when Jamie brought her home for the first time 14 years ago, Jennifer had become Sarah's confidant. She loved her mother, but perhaps this was a better talk to have with someone closer to her own age.

Red taillights brightened as the cars ahead slowed. The rain became even heavier and the wipers could not keep up. Sarah was having trouble making out the lines on the road. She decided to pull over_._

As she maneuvered her Corolla to the side of the road, a flash of white in her rearview mirror caught her eye. A man in a white sweatshirt was running towards her car. _Forget the rain!_ Sarah made sure her doors were locked and tried to get back onto the road. _Too late!_ The man in the white sweatshirt reached the car before Sarah could merge. He yelled into her window something she couldn't make out. Now she was getting nervous. She fished around in her book bag for her cell phone, wanting to contact her dad or brothers. _Or maybe I'll just call the police… Oh, why don't I keep pepper spray with me?_ The man knocked insistently on the window. She could hear his shouting now.

"Please! Please!"

_He looks more scared than I am._

Sarah rolled down the window about two inches to try to make out what the stranger was saying. "Help me! Please! I'm in trouble. Please help."

Sarah looked at him sharply. The man was young—not much older than Sarah. He was tall, trim and muscular, and his wet hair looked like it was light brown. He didn't look sick and there was no car in sight. _What is he doing here? Why doesn't he just go make a phone call? Where's his cell phone? _

"Is this a joke?" She was shouting, since the rain was so loud. She wasn't even sure she wanted to hear the answer. "Please get away from my car." He wouldn't budge. She thought about driving away anyway.

"Please help. Please!"

Sarah finally made eye contact with him. His gray eyes were intense, pleading.

She gulped and said, "What do you want me to do?" _I must be an idiot…_

The man's face broke into a nervous smile. He pulled a small padded mailer out of from under his shirt. "Please take this and get off at the next exit. Go to the Railroad Car Café and give it to the man in the blue windbreaker and Philadelphia Phillies hat. That's all you have to do. You never have to think of this or me again."

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw three men running towards her car. Seeing them, the man in the white sweatshirt took off, his pursuers hot on his heels. As fast as Sarah could, she pulled back onto the road, fishtailing until she could get a handle on the slick pavement. Looking in her mirror, she saw the stranger sprinting away, the men not far behind.

_Oh, my gosh!_ _What have I gotten myself into?_ Thankful the rain was letting up, Sarah went as fast as traffic would allow and got off at the next exit, looking for the Railroad Car Café.

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Sarah squinted as she stepped through the door of the brightly lit restaurant. She chided herself for the tenth time in the last five minutes. _Well this may have been a dumb idea, Sarah Stetson, but you are not backing out now_. She steeled herself. Not one to give up on a commitment, Sarah was determined to follow through on her promise. _Hopefully this guy isn't in with nasty people. _She looked around the restaurant.

Choking out a gasp, Sarah couldn't believe what she saw. On one side of the restaurant, there was a sea of red Philadelphia Phillies hats. Looking back out the window, the rain had stopped, and Sarah could see a tour bus in the parking lot, beyond where she had left her car.

_Great! They must have been to the baseball game this afternoon. What do I do now?_

Sarah saw the hostess approaching and quickly ducked out of the restaurant. She headed to her car and stuffed the envelope in her purse.

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Phillip King opened the door wide for his sister and called to the family. "Look what the cat dragged in!" He turned back to Sarah and gave her a quick hug. "Hiya, Sis! You look terrible."

"Why, thank you, Phillip. You always were good for a compliment."

Soon a strong pair of arms enveloped her in a bear hug. "Hi, Pumpkin."

Sarah hugged back. Her father doted on her—while loving her half-brothers as his own, especially since their own father had died, he had special place in his heart for Sarah. Technically, she was his only child and the baby of the family. She looked up at him. His silver hair was neatly combed back from his face. Even though he was wearing his glasses, his hazel eyes twinkled at her.

"Hi, Daddy."

Lee Stetson smiled down at his daughter. He could never get over how beautiful she was…just like his Amanda. As tall as her mother, with the same soft brown hair, Sarah had hazel eyes that held a warmth that endeared her to others. It didn't matter if she looked a bit bedraggled from the weather. He had always thought Amanda was even more beautiful that way, too.

"Your mother has been keeping dinner warm, and trying not to let me see her anxiously peeking out the window. You had better go greet her." He gave Sarah a peck on the cheek and gently pushed her towards the kitchen. He watched as she walked into his wife's arms.

"Oh Sarah, I'm so glad you are here!" exclaimed Amanda. She hugged Sarah and lovingly smoothed her rumpled hair. "I was hoping that the rain hadn't slowed you down too much. I know you have a busy week with your thesis being done and all, but it is so nice you could come for Jamie's birthday dinner. I've made pot roast, just the way Jamie—and you—like it. Why don't you take a few minutes to say hello to everyone, then get ready to eat." Sarah smiled and thought she heard her father chuckle. Her father often teased her mother when she would forget herself and go off on a nervous ramble.

Jamie walked up and gave Sarah a quiet hug. "Glad you made it Sarah. Jenny, the kids, and I have been looking forward to seeing you. It's been a few weeks."

"Happy birthday, Jamie! I'm sorry I've been such a stranger. I was finishing my thesis…"

"Sarah!" Jennifer and the boys, Seth and David, soon surrounded Sarah and pulled her away. Jamie quietly joined them all in the den, where Sarah greeted Phillip's wife Amy and their daughter, Jessica.

Lee found Amanda in the kitchen, where she stood watching the happy gathering. He put his arm around her and drew her close. "Your baby is safe, my dear."

"Now, I wasn't worried."

"Oh, is that why you kept looking out the window for her car?" Lee gently cupped Amanda's chin and turned her face toward his.

She smiled a small smile. "You saw?"

"You wouldn't be my Amanda if you didn't care for your children the way you do."

"I guess I take after my mother. By the way, I think you looked a few times yourself."

Lee looked guilty, but pretended he didn't hear the last part of her comment. "I hope that your children don't have to make up stories to keep you happy the way you did for your mother when we first met."

"Oh, I doubt they could pull anything over on a couple of spies."

"Intelligence operatives."

Amanda gave Lee a playful swat, then a quick kiss. "I'd better get dinner on or we might as well forget about eating it."

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Sarah looked around the table. The men and boys were animatedly discussing the afternoon's baseball game. The women and Jessica were talking about Jessica's upcoming play at school. In the hubbub of her arrival, Sarah had forgotten the envelope. Now she stifled a feeling of panic.

_How am I going to hide this from my family? Half of them work for the Agency—Mom and Dad are supposed to be the best pair of operatives ever—it's always been hard to get anything by them. Even though Phillip and Jamie don't work in the field, they still have picked up some of their tactics. _Sarah determined to forget about the envelope. She needed to focus her energies on talking with Jennifer about Jeff. Hopefully they would have a chance to be alone before Jennifer had to get her boys home to bed.

Amanda looked at Sarah. It had been weeks since they'd had a heart to heart talk. Maybe they could have a little chat right now. The poor girl looked frazzled. "Sarah, would you please help me take these dishes to the kitchen?"

The conversations didn't stop as the two women stacked up the dishes and carried them out of the room.

Once they were alone, Amanda looked for an opportunity to begin her soft interrogation. She didn't shy away from using her training on her children…as long as it was in their best interests.

"So, your thesis is done?"

"Yes! I'm so excited! I just need to go over it one more time with Jeff tomorrow."

"Oh, I'm so glad!" Amanda pulled some plates out of the cupboard. "How is Jeff doing? Have you had much time to be together while you were finishing your thesis?"

Sarah hesitated. Now that she had an opportunity to talk about all that had been troubling her, she had no idea how to begin. Drawing a deep breath, she finally began, "Truth be told, he's been acting a little funny lately. Not in a bad way. We have been able to see each other almost every day, but it's like he's holding back when we talk. It's weird."

"Is it weird, Sarah, or is he waiting to talk with you about something important. Is he trying to give you a little space since you've had so much on your mind?"

"Oh, Mom." Sarah was dismissive. "What do you mean?" Sarah knew what Amanda meant. She was just stalling. She started to tense up and thought, _Maybe I should have talked with Jennifer. Mom thinks this could be her future son-in-law. I am not ready for that kind of commitment._

"Oh, it's pretty obvious that Jeff has stayed by your side for a few years for a reason."

As much as she didn't want to hear it, she had to admit it was true. Her mother, a professional at reading people, was right_. _Why was she so set on denying what her mother could see? She knew the answer. _This is why I didn't want to talk to Mom. I don't want to hear the truth._

Sarah looked at her mother, who had pulled out the birthday cake and was putting the candles on it. Before she could think of something to say, Amanda spoke again.

"You don't seem as excited as you were a few minutes ago when I asked you about your thesis."

"Can I help with anything?"

"Oh Jennifer, we didn't see you. Yes, please get the plates and forks. I'm about to light the candles."

"I couldn't help overhearing you talking about Jeff. I'm sorry to intrude. Is everything okay, Sarah? You look unhappy…"

_I guess I sure wear my heart on my sleeve—or rather my face. Oh boy! _Sarah searched for a reply.

"Oh, well...Mom thinks Jeff is getting serious. To be honest, I was hoping it was something else. He's been acting funny lately, and I just like things the way they are. We are such good friends. Why spoil it?"

"But Sarah, you've been together for almost four years." Jennifer glanced over at Amanda, and then looked back at Sarah.

"I know. It seems serious—but we really haven't been _together_ that entire time. Being with Jeff is so comfortable. But I get stressed out just thinking about something more."

Amanda and Jennifer exchanged looks.

"Sarah," Jennifer said, "maybe you should take a little time away from Jeff. Marriage is a serious commitment. You know that. If you think Jeff is going to propose…"

Sarah felt the sudden urge to run away, but decided against it. She felt sick. _Propose! I don't even want to think of that word! _Somehow having the word spoken brought all of the confusing emotions to the surface, and Sarah was not prepared to deal with them. That long-coveted talk with Jennifer didn't seem so attractive any more. It was time to end the conversation. "Oh, gosh, well, I could just be imagining it. All I said was that he was acting funny."

"Listen, Sarah. Why don't you come stay in your grandmother's old apartment after you turn in your thesis? Your student housing lease is up in a couple of weeks. Your dad and I would love to have you close by, but we would leave you alone if you want. You have had a hard few months, and you could use the break before you start working full-time. You could live here until you decide on a place."

"Live here? Is my Sarah coming back home?" Lee walked in the room, a questioning look on his face. All three women looked at him. The Agency section chief, who had stared down many a KGB agent in his day, was suddenly uncomfortable. "Uh, shouldn't we have the cake? I think the kids all need to get home to bed."

Sarah was relieved. She needed time to think. Alone. It was definitely time for cake, then home. Georgetown home.

"Sorry, Lee. You caught us in the middle of a discussion. I invited Sarah to stay in Mother's old apartment until she had time to find a place of her own. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind." Lee looked at Sarah. He decided to wait until later to ask Amanda why their youngest looked so miserable. He reached over and put his arm around his daughter as they followed Amanda out of the kitchen singing "Happy Birthday" to Jamie.

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Matt Granger leaned over to catch his breath. The rain had stopped, and he had finally eluded his three pursuers. _I guess all that running we did in the Corps at A&M and in the Army come in handy in this line of work_, he thought to himself. And keeping up his workout regime here in D.C. had been worth the hassle. He shifted his thoughts back to his mission. _Chief Stetson is going to kill me. What was I thinking? I could have kept that envelope and brought it to the Agency or the contact myself. Who am I kidding? Those thugs almost got me. The contact would have been long gone by now, and I'm at least five miles from the drop. At least the contact's cover isn't compromised—I hope._

Matt looked around. Remembering his training, he mapped out in his head a route back to the Agency. _Might as well face the firing squad now and get it over with. I'll be in more trouble if I wait._ As he walked, Matt started to work on a way to tell his bosses what he had done. Matt was glad he was still under the watchful eye of his trainer, the section chief's wife. Her name was Amanda Stetson, but she went by the code name of Mrs. King. He wasn't sure why, because after over twenty-four years, all of the enemy operatives probably knew she and the Scarecrow were married. Certainly it was common knowledge at the Agency.

Matt knew he would end up meeting with both Mr. and Mrs. Stetson, and probably the bullpen supervisor, Mrs. Beaman. It was after nine at night. At least two of those three people would be in bad moods. It was just supposed to be a courier run, and he had blown it. His thoughts swirled inside his head. _Why did I have to give the envelope away? Think man, think. How can I find that girl again?_

Matt forced himself to remember as many details as he could from their brief meeting. The rain had been beating on his face, so his vision was off, but he could never forget how beautiful she was. She had soft brown hair, delicate features, smooth skin, and the most expressive hazel eyes. Eyes that were wide with fear. She must have been scared to death. Matt felt a pang of guilt. _What have I gotten that poor girl into? Oh God, what if those gorillas try to track her down? I've got to remember something besides her gorgeous looks. I've been trained to observe. I need some details._

Matt had seen the girl rummaging through her book bag, probably looking for a phone—at least she hadn't pulled out pepper spray. On the seat next to her had been a gym bag with a logo on it. _That's it! The bag was from Georgetown University! Maybe she'll head to the gym and I can find her there. I sure hope there is only one gym…_

Matt was nearing the Agency back entrance. No foyer tonight—too risky. He stopped for a moment and listened, then looked carefully in every direction. Still no tails. Sighing a breath of relief, he quickly entered the building.

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The last dish wiped, Lee switched off the kitchen lights and followed Amanda upstairs. As he entered the room, he saw her attempt to unclasp her necklace. "Here, let me help you."

"Oh, thank you, Lee." Amanda held her hair aside and waited patiently while Lee worked at the necklace. It held special memories for them both—Amanda had worn the heart pendant since before they were married. He ignored the brief flashback to finding it in Adi Birol's pocket and focused on enjoying his wife's nearness. He handed her the necklace, but didn't move away. Amanda leaned back against him and sighed. "Tonight was nice."

Lee kissed Amanda's hair and slipped his arms around her. They stood together in silence for a moment. "Sarah seemed to have a lot on her mind tonight. Did she open up with you?"

"She's so like you, Lee. She keeps her feelings to herself." Amanda turned around and looked lovingly at her husband, and then went on. "Sarah is pretty sure that Jeff has been waiting until she finished her thesis…he seems ready to propose."

Lee stepped away and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew this was coming, but it still was hard to hear. _Jeff is nice enough, but he reminds me of Dan, or Don, or was that Dean? Good old, dependable, boring whatever his name was. What did Amanda ever see in him, anyway? _Knowing better than to voice his feelings out loud to her, he searched for something to say. "How does Sarah feel about it?"

"I know she's fond of Jeff, but she doesn't seem excited about the thought of him proposing. You know, when Phillip asked Sarah about her job at the Smithsonian, she practically babbled on about it. When Jennifer and I were talking about Jeff, Sarah acted like she wanted to bolt. Did you see how quickly she left after the cake?"

Lee was surprised and a little hurt by Sarah's sudden departure. "Now that you've told me about Jeff, it makes sense. She's not ready, and she's scared."

"Is that Daddy talking, or someone who understands how Sarah feels?" Amanda wasn't teasing Lee—he knew she was trying to work things out in her mind.

"Well, I'll admit that I am a little jealous. You know me too well. But, I also know my daughter. We are a lot alike. You remember that she picked NYU when her old boyfriend started to think about going to UVa with her? She tends to run when things get serious."

"Lee, why don't you call Sarah tomorrow and invite her to stay in Mother's old apartment? Maybe she'll talk with you. She's had a rough few months. Maybe she just needs some perspective. I'd hate for her to run away from a good relationship."

Lee didn't quite agree about the good relationship, but he was more than willing to talk his daughter into moving into the apartment over the garage. _Maybe I can encourage her to take her time and not rush things._

"I will give her a call tomorrow." Lee pulled Amanda into his arms. "Right now, I'd like to change the subject." He leaned down to give her a kiss.

Amanda put her arms around his neck and drew closer as she kissed him back. She looked into his eyes. "I love you, Lee Stetson."

"I love you, Amanda Stetson." Kissing her more passionately this time, Lee caressed Amanda's back as they both moved towards the bed.

Then the phone rang.


	2. Chapter 2

Déjà Vu

Chapter Two

His clothes still damp from the rainstorm, Matt sat near Section Chief Stetson's desk and relayed the events of the evening, while the section chief paced back and forth across the room, occasionally shooting cryptic glances at his wife. Mrs. Stetson, seeming to understand his signals, sat quietly in a chair and listened. Supervisor Beaman leaned against the wall, a mysterious, knowing look on her face. He couldn't quite make out that look, and it unnerved him. He held his cool as best he could and finished his story.

"Are you telling me, Granger, that you have no idea who this woman is, and you have no idea where the envelope is?" Lee was yelling, but he didn't care.

"Sir, I don't have an I.D. on the woman…yet. I observed a few clues in her car and intend to follow up on them first thing tomorrow…" Matt shifted in his seat, more uncomfortable under Lee's scrutiny than from his damp clothing.

"Thank you, Agent Granger." Mrs. Beaman was crisp, no-nonsense. "Please step outside and wait for me in the bullpen."

Matt quickly got up and left the room, glad for the break from the tension. By protocol, he had called Mrs. Beaman first and told her the entire story—after hearing in no uncertain terms how displeased she was that he had interrupted the final few minutes of her twins' spring concert. Now he had had to tell the story all over again to his trainer and the section chief. _I haven't even finished my probationary period, and I've already ticked him off. Just great, Granger. I wonder where I'll be riding a desk for the next 30 years._

"Look Amanda, I hate to get on your back, but this whole thing is way out of line. He's your trainee—I refuse to take the heat for this one. Besides, we all recognize this scenario. I sure hope you didn't use it as a training exercise." Francine had mellowed over the years, thanks to Efraim's influence, but she was in a bad mood. The sarcasm was back with a vengeance.

"Francine, you know—"

Lee cut Amanda off. "Excuse me, Amanda. Francine, you know that Amanda would not share that kind of information with new recruits or with most of our other agents. That's personal, need-to-know. Let's decide what we are going to do about tonight's incident. Have you heard from the back up? Did the envelope ever get to him?"

"No. The whole plan for Granger's backup fell apart. The guy was supposed to be wearing a Phillies cap, but some bozo failed to check the Nationals' schedule."

Lee rolled his eyes and looked over at Amanda, who sighed and leaned her chin on her hand. "Next you'll tell me that the restaurant was full of people in Phillies caps, right?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah." Francine looked sheepish. She put on her professional face again. "Part of the reason for the drop was that this contact has had to go deep. Granger was to pass the information to the back up in case he was followed. And, as you know, he was. Apparently this group is new—the CIA has not been able to trace its source. It could be backed by al Qaeda or Hamas or who knows what else. Our instructions to the contact were to find out the source and follow up on a couple of tourists from Dubai who were detained at Dulles last Friday. They may have been recruits for this new organization. This could be the group that we think is targeting the Capitol building. We have a follow up drop scheduled for Thursday. We've got to get the information from tonight's drop—waiting until Thursday may be too late. On top of that, we have had three attempts on federal agents in the past week, if you don't count the thugs who chased Granger. As you know, the entire reason we were brought in on this is because of a possible movement against our intelligence network. Since we left the office this evening there's been a lot of buzz from the different agencies about it."

At the mention of the threat on the Capitol and the intelligence agents, Lee had stopped pacing and gone back to his desk. He slammed his fist on the desk. "Damn it! Why was this new kid given such a hot run?"

Amanda spoke quietly. "Lee, Granger has come through training with flying colors—he's my best freshman agent. He came highly recommended from Army Intelligence. He handled himself well tonight. He was innovative, and he sure proved he can elude the enemy."

Lee was sarcastic. "Yes, he has a good pair of legs. That doesn't help the fact that the information we need is floating around out there, and we are no closer to getting a handle on the threat against the Capitol—or who is threatening the intelligence community. And, we have an unknowing citizen possibly at risk or attempting to decode the information—we don't even have a background on this woman." Lee started to pace again, running his hand through his hair. He stopped and turned towards Francine and Amanda. "Look, I want this fixed before tomorrow's drop, or I'm going to make Granger an analyst by the end of the week."

"Yes, sir." Francine didn't wait around to hear anymore. She left the office to give Granger the bad news.

Lee, still angry and tense, stood in the middle of the office. Amanda got up and went over to him. "Matt reminds me of another agent." She paused and gave him a meaningful look. "You know he had no choice." She smoothed the front of his shirt and Lee relaxed a bit.

"Amanda," he began in a calmer tone, "I was already a seasoned agent. This is different. Granger doesn't know all the ramifications of what he has done. I did, and I did everything I could to find you—using a network of contacts I had taken years to develop. Besides, you weren't in any real danger until you started to try to solve the case on your own."

Amanda kept her hands on Lee's chest. "It was the first time we worked together. You got the information back, and the case was solved."

"Yes, you solved the case…and you saved my life. And you have had many opportunities since then to save it again." Lee's expression softened.

Amanda slipped her hands around to Lee's back and embraced him. "And you've done the same for me. Look, we can't do anymore tonight. Let's go home."

Lee looked down at Amanda. He used to kick himself every time Amanda was endangered, wishing he had never given her the package that day. But he had learned over the years that it was the best thing he had ever done. _God, I love this woman._ He kissed her briefly before moving away to grab his jacket. As Amanda picked up her purse, Lee placed his hand in the small of her back and began to guide her out of the office. He looked down at her and grinned suggestively. "I think we were in the middle of something before we were rudely interrupted."

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Dressed in workout clothes, Matt made his way to Phillip King's office first thing in the morning.

"You're looking your professional best, Granger. I can see you're using your training well."

King was known for his sarcastic humor. Matt took it in stride. He had worked with Phillip a few times, and knew he saved his barbs for people he liked.

"Hey, Phillip. I need a little help from you or Leatherneck. I need to get into the gym at Georgetown University."

"I think we can help you out there. Let me take a quick look at the computer to see what kind of I.D. is required. When do you need it?"

"Now."

Phillip let out his breath. "Friend, we do have a backlog here. How serious is this?"

"I think you know the section chief pretty well. He's suggesting that I move to Analysis if I don't fix a problem I created by tonight."

Lowering his eyebrows, Phillip concentrated on the screen and typed in a few words. He looked up at Matt again, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Well, we can't have that. Jamie would go nuts having to work with you. I'll get right on it while you fill out the paperwork. Oh, and Granger, you don't even look like a Georgetown student. Here." Phillip grabbed a Georgetown t-shirt off the shelf behind him and tossed it to Matt. "Put that on before you get to the campus." 

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Matt was running out of workout equipment. Since he was trying to keep an eye on the door, he could not very well face the window and amble away the day on a treadmill. It did not help that he had run all those miles last night. He switched to a new weight machine that allowed him to face the door. Matt glanced around the room one more time, and then sat down at the machine. A tall brunette walked in, her head down as she fumbled with the zipper on her jacket. He tried not to stare, waiting for her to look up. He looked away for a moment, and then looked back. _Oh no. She's staring at me. She's made me! _Matt had hoped to meet with her away from the door; he did not want her to run.

Sarah recognized the eyes immediately. _It's the runner from last night. Oh, my gosh! How on earth did he find me here?_ The thought of him tracing her here made her want to panic. She searched her memory. _What did Dad and Mom tell me to do if someone was stalking me?_ Sarah had used avoidance patterns to ditch a few annoying guys in her day, but never under duress. Quickly she turned around and walked out. _I just needed some time alone!_ Jeff had been acting strangely again, and she was certain that her mother was right. She had rushed through their thesis meeting and begged out of lunch. A good run on the treadmill would have done wonders…

_Now I'll get my run all right—in and out of the buildings on the Georgetown campus._ Sarah ducked into a doorway and peeked back down the hall. The guy from last night was following her. He was coming quickly. Sarah made a mad dash down the hall, out the door, and around the corner. She cut through some bushes and ducked down between two parked cars. She looked around and couldn't see the man anymore. _I wonder if I lost him?_ Sarah looked down.

A pair of Nike running shoes moved into her field of vision, just feet away. "Look, I won't hurt you—I just need to talk for a minute."

Sarah looked up to see Matt standing there. She tried to back up, but because she was crouching, she just fell over backwards.

"Can I give you a hand? I promise I won't hurt you."

Sarah pushed herself up and started backing up. "Look, I don't have your envelope. If you don't leave me alone, I'm going to call the cops."

Matt tried not to show his reaction. Maybe she was bluffing. "I can see you don't have the envelope. Is it still in your car? Is it in your gym bag? We could go back into the gym…"

"I came in my workout clothes, and I walked. I don't have the envelope with me."

Sarah had not stopped walking backwards towards the building. She was looking for an opportunity to turn and run.

Matt was relieved. She still had it. He needed that envelope, and he didn't want to scare the girl away. "Look, I'm in a lot of trouble. I need to get that envelope back. It could be a matter of life or death." Matt looked into Sarah's eyes. He willed her to trust him.

Sarah wavered, her thoughts conflicted. Examining his face, she realized that he was quite handsome in a boy-next-door sort of way. And he seemed sincere. _It's those intense, gray eyes. They don't look like a murderer's, or some terrorist's. In fact, this guy looks like an all-American hero or something. Oh, get ahold of yourself, Sarah._ _I have no idea if this guy is for real…what if he's just using the envelope thing as a ruse to stalk me?_ She looked back at his eyes. He did not look like a stalker—he looked like he was desperate.

"I'm telling the truth. I don't have the envelope. I hid it somewhere."

"Can we go get it right now?"

"Nice try. You aren't following me anywhere."

"How about we meet somewhere after you get the envelope?"

"You haven't even told me your name. How do I know you aren't some crazy person, or a terrorist, or mafia, or something?"

"You don't. But I need you to trust me. Please." They had reached the entrance to the gym again. Matt could see she was wavering. He tried another tactic. "Look, if someone saw you take the envelope from me, you could be in danger. Have you seen anyone strange hanging around?"

Sarah swallowed hard. If this guy was for real, he had a good point. She should have been keeping an eye out. _But, I still don't know who this guy is and whether I can trust him._ "Only you—I mean, you're the only strange person hanging around me... Okay, meet me at the student union in an hour. I'll be at the south entrance. Don't think about trying anything. I may just call the cops and have them meet us there." Before Matt could answer, Sarah ducked inside the building and ran down the hall. He didn't want to make a scene again, so he followed her carefully, keeping well out of sight. He couldn't afford to lose her now.

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Sarah looked behind her. Students and faculty walked in various directions, but the strange man was nowhere to be seen. She took a roundabout route to her campus apartment and let herself in, making sure he was not following her. Just then, her cell phone rang. _Oh, I can't tell Daddy. He'll send fifty agents over here and shut down the entire campus. Besides, for some crazy reason, I'd hate to see that guy get arrested._

"Hi, Daddy!" Sarah forced herself to sound lighthearted.

"Hey, Sarah." Lee hesitated. He sensed something was off. _Maybe she's afraid I'll hassle her about Jeff. Maybe she doesn't want to live near her parents. She is going on twenty-four years old._ "Look, I just wanted to see if you were all right. You left in a hurry last night. Mom and I thought you might have been feeling pressured…or something."

"Oh, are you talking about the apartment?"

Lee recognized the tactic. _She doesn't want to talk about Jeff with me. Just go slow, Stetson. _"Yeah. Look, you don't have to move into your grandma's place. Your mom hasn't had the heart to do anything to it since Grandma died, and I know a gal like you…"

"Oh, Daddy, I love Grandma's apartment. It's just, you know…I've been living on my own, and my friend Chelsea had invited me to stay with her for a month or two..." Sarah looked out the window. No sign of Granger, but there were two men in black standing in the doorway of the apartment across the way. They were definitely out of place… Sarah decided that she'd had her fill of strange men. This had gone too far. _At least I could live next door to a couple of armed agents. _

"Sarah? Are you still there?" Lee was becoming concerned. His gut was telling him that something was wrong. He just didn't know what.

"Oh, sorry, Daddy. I was thinking. You know what, I think it would be great to live in Grandma's apartment. I could ride the Metro to work to beat the traffic. I could save a lot of money in expenses, I could have the place to myself, and I wouldn't have to look for a place for a while. How soon could I move in?"

"Well, you could move in tonight, if you want. Your mom just cleaned the place last weekend. She tries to keep it nice in case someone comes to visit."

"Well, all my stuff is already in boxes. It was something to do when I had writer's block. I could bring some over this afternoon, then borrow Mom's SUV and get the rest another day."

"I'm sure she won't mind. You still have your key, right? …And hey, tell Jeff he is welcome any time. We missed him at dinner last night."

"I'll let him know. And about last night: Jeff had to take an evening class. That's why he couldn't come to the birthday party. I know he wished he could have been there. Uh, I'd better go if I'm going to get my stuff together. Love you!"

"Love you, too, Pumpkin. Goodbye."

Sarah stood away from the window in the shadows and looked out. The two men in black were still there. She stepped back. She needed a plan. How was she going to get out of the apartment? This was graduate housing. People didn't hang around outside here during the day. She had no protection… She picked up her phone again.

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Matt looked on as the two men followed Sarah to her apartment, and then stepped into the shadows to watch. He thought he recognized them from the night before. _Only, one is missing. Where is he?_ Matt peeked around the building towards the parking lot. A black SUV like the one the thugs had driven last night was parked across the street. He debated with himself about getting backup. _No time—besides, how will I explain this to the chief? We can't even arrest these guys. _He glanced at the two men in the shadows, then back at the SUV. _Target number one._

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The doorbell rang. Sarah checked the peephole, and then opened the door for her neighbors Tyler and Shawn. They were always looking for ways to get Sarah's attention; despite being hard at work on their own thesis projects, they were happy to come over. "Thanks for being willing to help me with these boxes, guys. I have to be at an appointment soon, so it won't take long." The three headed down the stairs, arms loaded with boxes, and out to the parking lot. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah could see the two men in black staring after them. One of the men started to make a call on his cell phone.

The three students had the car loaded in two trips. Sarah gave each of her friends a quick hug and jumped in her car. The two men had not followed her. She hadn't bothered to deadbolt the lock, so she hoped they thought she was coming back. "Bye, guys! I have a couple more weeks to finish moving, so I'll see you again. Sorry, I have to run. Thanks again!" She quickly backed out of her space and drove the car out of the lot, not noticing the man slumped over the wheel of the SUV, his ringing cell phone unanswered.

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Matt crept back into the complex's courtyard. The men were gone. Hoping they were checking on their friend, Matt dashed up the stairs and knocked on Sarah's door. He had to get her out of there, fast. When he had no answer, he looked around and then quickly picked the lock in the handle. Finding the deadbolt unlocked, he let himself in, shutting the door behind him. A cursory glance told him that the people who lived there were in the process of moving. A few boxes lay about, and the counters were mostly bare. Quickly checking the rooms, he was relieved that Sarah wasn't there—lying on the floor or something. _I hope they don't have her… I need to get to the Student Union._ Matt heard steps outside. He peeked around a corner and tried to see out the window by the door. The two men were just outside, on the walkway. Hearing voices coming towards them, the two men quickly walked away.

Matt heard a door slam next door and then made his move. Checking outside the door carefully, he slipped out of the apartment and went down the stairs as fast as he could. Hitting the ground, he could hear the two men shouting to each other above him. The few students who were there came out of their apartments to see the ruckus. Matt looked back and saw the men, stalled by the students. He sprinted out of the housing complex.


	3. Chapter 3

Déjà Vu

Chapter Three

Sarah checked her watch. She was ready to get rid of her hot potato. She clutched her book bag on her lap and looked around the patio outside the student union. _Where is he? He was desperate to have the envelope back_… Sarah wanted to leave before the two men could catch up with her.

"Oh, thank God you're safe." Matt sat down next to Sarah, obviously winded from running. He looked around carefully. "We can't stay here."

"No kidding! I just barely got out of my apartment! Thanks to you, I have two baddies stalking me. Well, I guess three if I count you."

"Make that four. I took care of the one in the SUV. It's a good thing they don't have you in the backseat of their car right now."

Sarah could not hide the shock on her face. "What? Did you kill someone?"

"You watch too many spy movies or something. I just knocked him out of commission so I wouldn't have three to deal with. I guess you did a good job getting past the other two. I don't see them. Let's go—right now."

"Whoa, hold on there. I'm not going anywhere with you." Sarah pulled the envelope out of her book bag.

Matt grabbed it and shoved it in his pants, under his shirt. "Careful! Look you're not safe. I need to help you."

"Maybe I should thank you for helping me, but I don't know who the good guy is and who the bad guy is here. I'm leaving now. Goodbye!" Sarah got up and started to walk away.

Keeping an eye out, Matt got up and went after her. "Look you can't go back to your apartment. It's too dangerous. Those guys meant business."

"I don't intend to go back to the student housing."

Walking alongside her, he offered her a friendly smile. "You know, I never got your name."

Sarah knew fishing when she heard it. "Nope, and you never did give me yours."

"Hey, Sarah, is this guy bothering you?" A man about Matt's age caught up to them. He was about Sarah's height, shorter than Matt. Although he was nice looking, he was thin, and wore glasses. His pants were baggy and his shirt was slightly wrinkled. Matt guessed he was another grad student.

After looking Jeff up and down, Matt turned back towards Sarah. He ignored the intrusion and pretended to be an old friend. "Nice to see you again, _Sarah_." He smirked as he emphasized her name.

Sarah looked at Matt, uncomfortable. She looked back at the other man. "I'm fine, Jeff. We were in a class together last semester. Jeff, this is…"

"Chris, Chris Thompson. Nice to meet you." Matt shook Jeff's hand. Sarah eyed Matt warily.

"Look, Chris, it was good seeing you again. Jeff, I'm getting ready to head out to run those errands I told you about. I'll call you later, okay? We can get together then." She gave Jeff a quick kiss. Matt grimaced. He caught himself. _Why do I care who she kisses? Am I becoming attracted to this woman? I just want to be sure she's okay._

Jeff stared at Matt as Sarah walked quickly away. Rather than get into something with Jeff, Matt took off, pretending to go another direction before doubling back. He made sure Sarah got in her car and watched her drive away from the parking lot. There was no black SUV in sight, and the two men were still nowhere to be seen. He jogged to his car and headed to the Agency with the envelope.

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Sarah pulled into her parents' driveway. Since she knew they were at work, she grabbed a few things from the car and went straight to the stairs for her grandmother's apartment. Once inside, she closed the door and looked around. It smelled faintly of her grandmother—perfume and soap—even two years after her death. Amanda had not changed anything. The same photos sat on the side table by the couch, and the coffee table held the same favorite knick knacks her grandmother had treasured. Sarah smiled and moved to the window. She pulled up the blinds, allowing the afternoon light to flood the room. It was a beautiful late spring day outside, so she opened the window. A faint breeze blew her hair. She closed her eyes and sighed, feeling refreshed. _I'm so glad I decided to come here._ Refusing to think about the events at campus, Sarah looked over at the house and allowed her thoughts to drift to her parents.

She remembered being embarrassed with her brothers when their parents would kiss and embrace in front of them. Phillip would tell them to "get a room." Secretly, Sarah had sort of enjoyed it. It made her feel secure about their relationship. She knew how much they loved each other.

Her grandmother, Dotty, had always talked fondly of Lee and Amanda's relationship. Sarah thought back to one conversation that had been etched in her memory. She and her grandmother had been sitting together in this room, enjoying one another's company, when their talk had drifted to Mom and Daddy. "I had never seen your mother so happy, darling. Joe was such a nice man; I never questioned your mother marrying him. But they drifted apart. It was hard watching your mother so miserable. She never said anything, but I knew. I was determined to help your mother make your brothers' lives as normal as possible after she and Joe divorced. But your mother's life wasn't normal. She was so alone. Even when she was dating Dean—you probably have heard about Dean—your mother was still hurting from the divorce. I guess he just wasn't the right person for your mother.

"Then she got that job at IFF—well you know, it was the Agency—but _I_ didn't know that. All those crazy hours, but there was a bounce in your mother's step again. Finally, after about three or four years, she started bringing your father home, letting us get to know him. I had no idea that they had gotten married when your mother was shot. It must have been so hard for your dad not to be able to really talk to me. You know, he latched on to me once we got to know each other and things were out in the open. I can never be his mother, but it is nice to mother such a good man." Sarah smiled to herself, remembering how much her grandmother had loved her father—_just like he had been her own son_.

The conversation had continued. "I was so hurt and frustrated once I found out about the marriage, but it was impossible to stay angry very long. Your mother was so happy—even more so after your dad moved in with us. The way your father would look at her, it was like your mother was the best thing that had ever happened to him. And your mother, she stood by your father with such devotion. They are still like that. She and your father are soul mates. I could see it from the start. They can have a conversation without even saying anything—they just look at one another. It was that way for your grandfather and me." Sarah remembered Dotty pausing for effect. "Sarah, make sure you find a man like that. Don't ever settle for less."

Realization dawned on Sarah, and she sat down hard. She remembered the words she had said to herself just the other day. _I always thought there would be a spark._ Sarah knew why she felt so nervous about a future with Jeff. _He isn't The One, is he, Grandma? But we've spent almost four years together._ Tears fell slowly down her cheeks.

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Sarah had not heard Jeff's car pull up on the street. Even though she had invited him to the apartment, she was startled when she heard him on the steps. Her tears had dried an hour ago, but after her experience at the student housing, she was on edge. Gathering herself, she got up and went to the door.

"Hi, sweetie." Jeff stood there, holding a bag and a bouquet of flowers.

"Hi Jeff. Come on in." Sarah tried to sound bright. Jeff gave her a quick kiss. _There just isn't any passion there. He's like my brother. How could I have not seen this?_

He held out the bag first. "I brought you a smoothie and your favorite poppy seed muffin from the Southside Bakery. I figured you probably hadn't eaten since breakfast."

Jeff was always so thoughtful. He remembered things. Sarah went to the sink and arranged the flowers. She put them on the coffee table, and then joined Jeff at the table. She was hungry. "Thanks for thinking of me, Jeff. The flowers make things seem so homey." She took a sip of the smoothie. Just the way she liked it.

Jeff looked around the room. "It looks like you just got here." Sarah had finished unloading the car, but boxes still sat unopened on the floor.

"Oh, I've been here for an hour or two." She bit into the muffin. It was good. Maybe with some food in her stomach, things would seem better…

Sarah finished her muffin and smoothie. Jeff chatted about his day. _Is this what it would be like to be married to him?_ _After all, isn't marriage about companionship? Then why am I not telling this man about what happened to me this morning? We're just chatting about the class he taught last night. He never asked about the party last night._

Jeff walked into the living area and sat down on the couch. He patted the spot next to him. "Come, sit with me." He put his arm around Sarah's shoulders as she joined him on the couch. "You know, I've missed relaxing with you." He leaned in and kissed her.

Sarah kissed him back. She felt flat. They pulled apart, and he looked into her eyes, trying to gauge her. He pulled her to him in a hug and they sat like that for a few moments.

_I wish we could just stay like this_. It was so nice to be held after all that had happened that morning.

Jeff kissed her hair and spoke again. "It's so peaceful here in your grandmother's apartment. I love just sitting with you, no work hanging over our heads." They sat awhile longer. Finally, Jeff gently released Sarah and slid off the couch to one knee.

Jeff saw Sarah's expression. "I know this isn't really the way I had intended to do this, but I like the privacy we have here." He paused, and looked into Sarah's eyes. Sarah hoped that he could not see the fear she felt. "Sarah, I have grown to love you these past four years. I can't imagine ever being without you. I feel that we have so much in common with our work…I want to be with you for the rest of our lives." Jeff paused, and went on. "Will you marry me?"

_But I don't love you enough—we aren't soul mates. We just study history together. There's no passion, no spark. I just want to be friends. _Sarah couldn't find her voice.

Jeff saw Sarah's expression and was flustered. "I know I've caught you off guard. It's just that I am so excited that you are finally done with your graduate work. I've been planning to ask you for weeks—and this just seemed like the perfect moment."

"Oh Jeff, we are such good friends. Couldn't we just keep it that way for a while? I don't know if I'm ready for marriage."

Jeff looked like he had been struck. "Friends? It's been more than that for a long time, hasn't it?"

Sarah broke in quickly. "Oh, it has been more than just friends. You are so dear to me. I'm just, well… Jeff, I'm still so tired and overdone with all the work I just finished." _And today was so scary._ "I guess I need more time. Oh, I feel so overwhelmed." She fought back tears. She didn't want to hurt Jeff. But she couldn't mislead him.

"This wasn't the reaction I'd expected, Sarah." Jeff looked at her for a moment, and then spoke quietly. The hurt in his voice was unmistakable. "I'm sorry. I should have waited. You need more time." Jeff got up to leave. "I'd better go."

"Jeff! Please wait. Can't we just sit together for a little while?" Sarah's voice was desperate.

"I think I need to go." Jeff was fighting back his emotions.

Sarah watched as Jeff went out the door and listened to his tread on the stairs. His shoulders slumped, he made his way down the driveway to his car. Sarah let out a sob and dropped to the floor. She drew her knees up to her chest and sat against the couch, crying uncontrollably.

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When Matt arrived back at the Agency, he went straight to Francine's office off the bullpen. Expecting a mixed reaction, he got one.

"Well, Granger, I guess I should congratulate you on getting the envelope back. I had better send this to Jamie for analysis. We also need to see if it was tampered with by…who did you say had the envelope? Did you bring them in for debriefing?"

"Uh, I didn't say."

"You did find out her name, didn't you?"

"She wasn't telling."

Francine counted to ten, then thought for a moment. It was a remarkable thing that Granger had gotten the envelope back. She had to give that to him.

"Look, Mr. Stetson is not going to be pleased if I walk in there and don't have a name. We don't know if this girl is really a student, or if she works with those guys in the SUV."

"Call it a gut instinct, but those guys were not after the girl to punish her for unfaithfulness to the cause or something. I believe they wanted the envelope. They waited, instead of going into her apartment right away. Besides, these were the same guys who chased me. How could they have arranged for me to pick her car?"

"You're too green to have gut instinct, but you have a point about picking the car… Listen, we need to take this to Mr. Stetson. I'm calling in Mrs. Stetson, too, since you are still technically under her direction."

Francine got up from her desk and went towards Lee's office, ducking into Amanda's office just long enough to ask her to join them. Amanda got up and followed them to Lee's office.

Matt told his story once again, making sure to include his points in Sarah's defense.

Lee was gruff. "Well, Granger, you did a good job getting the envelope back. Are we getting a background check on the girl? What's her name?"

"Uh, sir, I don't have her name."

"What? Couldn't you have asked her name? We need to know whose side she's on. We have an agent that could be compromised—she might have made the backup before he left." Lee was yelling.

"Sir, she wouldn't tell me her name."

"You were in her apartment! Couldn't you have grabbed some mail and looked at it?"

"I didn't have time. Besides, one of the rooms had been recently emptied—the girl was moving out. I didn't see any mail."

Amanda broke in. "Lee, I think Granger made a good point about the two men. Not only did they wait outside her apartment, as if they were following her, but how could they have known Matt would pick the girl's car?"

Lee looked at Amanda and then at Francine, who obviously agreed with Amanda. "All right, we will have to let that one go for now. Is Jamie working on the message?"

"Yes, Jamie is working on it right now," said Francine. "Let me give him a call and I'll see what he has." Francine stepped out of the office.

Lee looked at Amanda. "Before you came in here, I heard that two Homeland agents have gone missing. We've got federal agents being compromised left and right, and there is still a threat on the Capitol. We've got to find out who is behind all of this."

Amanda leaned forward in her seat. "Lee do you believe they are going after our men to distract us?"

"It's been done before."

Francine walked back in the office, notepad in hand. "Jamie had just finished deciphering the code in the message. It doesn't tell a lot. Apparently there is a loose coalition of sorts working on an attack—and it's coming soon. Our contact believes that someone has recently come back on the international scene, someone with an ax to grind."

"An ax to grind? That sounds like personal revenge, not a terrorist attack," said Amanda.

"It could be a combination of both; we need more to go on." Lee looked at Granger. His wife trusted the young agent, and against unlikely odds, he had found the envelope. He deserved a second chance. "Look, if you are able to handle yourself like you did this morning, I need you to go to tonight's meet. No civilians this time. Bring back the envelope yourself."

"Yes, sir. Just tell me where I need to be."

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Amanda pulled her white XC90 up behind Sarah's Corolla. She had left work early so she could greet Sarah and help her get settled before dinner. As she approached the apartment stairs, she thought she heard sobbing through the open window. Amanda quickly climbed the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Sarah, it's Mom. Are you okay?" There was no answer, just continued sobbing. Amanda slowly opened the door and looked inside. Sarah was still on the floor by the couch. She rushed over. Kneeling beside Sarah, she gathered her daughter in her arms. They stayed that way for several minutes. Finally the crying subsided.

"Let me get you a tissue." Amanda got up and brought a box from the bathroom. She sat on the couch near Sarah, waiting for her to speak first.

Sarah blew her nose and took a deep breath. "Jeff came over. We were having such a nice time, just sitting and being together. He brought me lunch…and flowers."

Amanda looked at the flowers. She knew what was coming.

"He asked, didn't he?"

Sarah nodded. She choked back another sob.

"You said no?"

"Not exactly. I just let him know I wasn't ready. I just want to be his friend, Mom."

"But Jeff doesn't feel the same way. He's been waiting…"

"Yes…Mom, before Jeff came, I remembered Grandma telling me how happy you had been when you met and married Daddy. How you were soul mates." Sarah blushed. "When I was younger, I remember being embarrassed when you would kiss. We could tell you were so…well you know, in love, even though you'd been married for years."

Amanda smiled, remembering the night before. "We still are."

"She said you were soul mates, and I should never settle for anything less."

"I suppose she was right."

"Mom, you _know_ she was right. I know now that Jeff isn't my soul mate." Sarah started to cry again quietly.

Amanda drew her daughter up to the couch so they could embrace again. She held Sarah for a while.

"I led him on for four years."

"Sarah, you did not lead Jeff on. You didn't understand your feelings. You are very fond of him—or you wouldn't be crying like this."

"Yes, but he wants me to love him. To be his wife. I just can't do that. It would be like lying."

Amanda nodded. They leaned back against the couch and sat silently together for a little while. Sarah wasn't the talker she was, so Amanda had learned to wait and listen.

"I guess he must be pretty frustrated with me. I made him wait, if you know what I mean." Sarah looked down, blushing.

"Oh Sarah, he might be frustrated now, but it will be easier for you both in the long run." She hesitated and then said, "Your Daddy has always said that he loved me more for being that kind of woman. I believe he respected my scruples—even though he teased me about them when we first worked together. Later, he was careful to wait because he knew I had been hurt before. I loved _him_ even more because of that.

"Jeff stayed with you for four years because he loved you for who you are and respected you."

"You know, he said something interesting. He said, 'I feel that we have so much in common with our work.' Do you suppose he only _thinks_ he loves me? What if he's thinking about our studies so much, he hasn't taken the time to look for that spark, too?"

"I don't know… Listen, it's getting close to dinnertime. Do you want to come help me make dinner? Your father will be home soon. I know he'd love to spend some time with you, if you don't mind."

"I'd love to be with both of you, Mom. Thanks for being here—and for listening. I love you." Sarah gave Amanda a hug.

"I love you, too, dear."

The lovely afternoon was fading. Sarah closed the window and they left the apartment together.


	4. Chapter 4

Déjà Vu

Chapter Four

Matt was cold and getting cramps in his legs. He had been waiting for an hour. He wrapped his arms around his chest and paced a little. _I should count myself lucky that they trust me to handle this drop._

Matt had gone home to grab a bite to eat, then shower and change his clothes. The afternoon had been warm; now it was chilly, and he only had on a light jacket. He hoped this wouldn't be another late night. He looked around the parking lot again. Still no sign of the contact. Mrs. Beaman had warned him that it could be a wait. Matt's job was to get there early and stay all night if necessary.

_I guess I knew that it might be like this. A lot of sitting around at stakeouts, drop sites, whatever._ Matt rubbed his hands up and down his legs, then wrapped them around his chest again and paced a little. Ever since he had been a kid back in Texas, he had wanted to be a spook. His parents had hesitated at first, and then supported Matt. _I guess they figured I was going to do this, so they might as well back me up. _They went to all of his ROTC events at Texas A&M and his mother had written him faithfully during his three years of service. Matt was excited when the Agency had recruited him, but the great job had a downside. _I can't even tell my parents where I work._ As far at Matt's parents knew, he was a military consultant with a government film company—International Federal Film.

Matt paced around some more, checking carefully for the contact, and keeping an eye out for his "friends" from that morning—or anyone else that might somehow have made his location.

Driven by his career plans the last seven years, Matt had made no time for girls, not that he hadn't been tempted. _The right one never came along anyway._ Since he had relocated to Washington, he'd hadn't had a chance to make many friends, other than occasionally having a beer with one of the other freshman agents and having dinner with Rene Enriquez and his wife Patti. She had taken pity on Granger and served him a home-cooked meal more than once. Matt and Enriquez had been paired up on a couple of cases—Enriquez being the senior agent, since he was out of the freshman program and working directly with Mrs. Beaman.

He thought about Sarah and the friend who had come to her "rescue." _I can't believe such a beautiful girl would hang out with such a—. _Matt could think of a few names for the guy._ She's smart, resourceful, and pretty darn brave. Heck, she'd make a great agent. But I don't even know her last name. I don't even know where she's gone._

_Give it up, Granger. You're an idiot. You've lost your chance there—besides, she's taken anyway._ He sighed in frustration. Sometimes he wondered if he would end up like some of the other agents—single indefinitely, loners. Who was he kidding, anyway? He was a loner and he was going to stay that way if he did not start using his street sense. _Why did I have to be so stupid? Those amazing eyes… What if those goons find her again? Get a hold of yourself, Granger! You are on assignment here!_

Matt looked around once more. He thought he saw someone creeping along the edge of the parking lot, trying to stay in the shadows. He circled around, staying in the trees so he could not be seen. He had to make sure it was the contact. As he got closer, he could see the man was wearing a Virginia sweatshirt. He stepped out of the shadows.

The other man spoke first. "I'm looking for the nearest Metro station."

"You are a long ways away. It's five blocks east."

"Should I try calling a cab?"

Matt acknowledged the recognition codes by stepping back into the shadows and waiting for the contact to approach. The other man looked around nervously and licked his lips. "It's important to remember details and not forget people." The man looked at Matt pointedly, then handed him the envelope before slipping away.

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"I've told you everything I know, Jamie. He said 'it's important to remember details and not forget people,' then took off."

Matt looked at Jamie, who studied the note, then read his deciphered version aloud again. "Things have gotten dirty around here. Weekends are not the best times to make messes, but a baby doesn't know any better. Don't wait to share the news. The nosy relatives will keep getting sick. Grandpa's old friend with the Hungarian girlfriends has come back and wants to relive some memories."

"Matt, if this is saying what I think it's saying, things could get pretty ugly in D.C. I have to make sure I'm right, and this guy is for real."

"He recited the recognition codes perfectly. Jamie, tell me what it means."

"Well, I believe that our threat on the Capitol involves a bomb threat—maybe a dirty bomb, maybe gas or biological, set possibly for this weekend—it's urgent. Somehow an infant—gosh, I don't know-will be used in getting the bomb to the Capitol. We can expect more agents to get hit. I can't figure out the last part. I think Grandpa means Lee, but I don't know what that's about. The Hungarian girlfriends thing makes no sense—some philandering enemy from the past?"

"Jamie, if it was a baby, they'd be in a stroller or something, right? You can't get a stroller into the Capitol, as far as I know."

Jamie thought for a moment. Suddenly he sat up straight. "No, but what if a pregnant woman wasn't really pregnant?"

Jamie called Lee on the cell phone. "Lee, it's Jamie. Your agent, Granger, came in with something really hot about the Capitol…there may also be a reference to you in it, but I can't make it out. Yes…we'll see you in a few."

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Lee sat at his desk, staring at Jamie's notes. He had asked Amanda to come with him. Sarah had been exhausted, so she had gone off early to bed and probably had no idea they'd left. Maybe Amanda could help solve the rest of the puzzle, since they had handled so many cases together.

"What do you suppose the Hungarian thing is about? The Cold War is over." Lee leaned back and stared out into space.

Amanda absent-mindedly fingered her necklace, and then had an inspiration. "Lee, do you suppose that's referring to Magda and her sister?"

Lee sat up straight once again. "Jamie, check the computer. Does the name Adi Birol pop up in any recent activity?"

Jamie left the office for a few minutes. Lee looked over at Granger, who looked haggard. The poor kid probably had not slept in two days.

"Granger, go home and go to bed."

"If it's okay with you, sir, I'd like to stay and hear what the note means."

Lee stared at him thoughtfully. It might be helpful to have Granger in on the case. "Okay, but this might take a while." After a few minutes Lee noticed Jamie walking back to his door.

"I found at least 10 references to Adi Birol in the intelligence chatter. He has been out of prison for some time, and may be involved in leading a terrorist organization. His last known whereabouts were the United Arab Emirates. He has also spent time in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai. There is some speculation that he was heading to this continent."

Lee looked at Amanda. He knew they would have to deal with Birol again someday. "Magda and her family moved away long ago. He can't be after them. He must be after another old nemesis. He never did like me, and he's had plenty of time to nurse a revenge plot." Fear and anxiety began bubbling up inside, and Lee fought them back down. _They used Amanda to get to me last time._ It was all he could do to keep from going to her and embracing her. He looked at Amanda and could see in her eyes that she was struggling with the same feelings.

Lee looked at Jamie and Matt. Both men's expressions showed a combination of concern and confusion. They did not know of Lee and Amanda's past history with Adi Birol.

Forcing himself to keep an even voice, Lee said, "Amanda, I'm calling Francine and Efraim. You all need to get every spare agent on this. Granger, go home and get some sleep. I am assigning you to watch our house, starting first thing tomorrow. I want you to let me know immediately if you see anything suspicious—and don't be afraid to call for backup if you need to. Consider Birol and his men to be extremely dangerous. He had a personal grudge, and he held Mrs. Stetson as a hostage to get at me before. I have a feeling he might try again."

"Amanda, I am going to ask Francine to assign a two-man escort team to you. Any time you leave the Agency, if I'm not with you, you are with the team in an Agency vehicle. They'll watch the house when you're at home."

"Lee, we don't know he's coming after me—or you for that matter. You can't spare anyone. I'll be careful."

"Granger, why don't you head home." Lee stood up and looked pointedly at Matt. Taking the cue, Matt excused himself and left the office.

Jamie got the hint. "I think I'll head back to my computer and check the wire."

"Thanks, Jamie. Check back with me if you see anything new. I'll be on the phone to Homeland with the bomb information in a minute." As Jamie left the office, Lee turned to Amanda. "I didn't want to pull rank on you in front of anyone, but I am insisting that you go with me on having Granger keep an eye on the house and with having a team escort you. Besides, we have Sarah to consider. What if he knows where we live?" Lee looked down at his hands. They were shaking. He sat down on his couch, his hands clasped between his knees, staring at the floor.

Amanda went over to him and sat beside him. "Lee, we've dealt with this sort of thing before."

"Amanda, when Birol brought me to you at the hideout, I was so glad to see you that all I wanted to do was hold you in my arms. I had no idea what he'd done to you, but I could see you were stretched thin—probably food and sleep deprived. I was determined to keep up your spirits."

"I guess proposing helped do that." Amanda smiled and Lee allowed himself to smile back.

"What you never saw was the hell I went through all those days you were missing, wondering if I would ever see you again. Wondering if he had… hurt you in some way." Lee looked at Amanda, willing her to understand his meaning. "You know, for a long time afterwards, I was haunted by the idea of you being kidnapped by some other animal."

Amanda took Lee's hands in her own. He continued. "I knew you had gone through hell, too. I didn't think you needed me to dump all that on you." He paused for a moment. "Look, I can't go through that again. Besides, this time may not be a kidnapping. It could be permanent." He swallowed, the muscles along his jaw clenching.

Amanda knew that Lee was struggling to maintain control over his emotions. At home, alone with her, he might have let a tear fall. "I'm sorry I questioned you, Lee. Although, I was a little surprised you chose Granger."

"Hey, I could tell you trusted the guy, so that's why I picked him. He's a good soldier. Just a little green as an agent."

Amanda leaned in and kissed him on the lips. She pulled back and searched Lee's face. "Lee, we'll get through this. Adi will be caught. Please don't worry. I hate to see you like this."

Lee forced himself to smile. "I love you, Amanda."

"And I love you, too, Lee. I'd better let you get to your work, while I call in my available agents." Amanda gave Lee one last peck on the cheek and got up from his couch. He stood up and watched her walk to her office, then went over to his desk.

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Matt shifted in the seat of his Mazda 3 and yawned. He could have slept a few more hours, but the message coming in on his cell phone woke him at five a.m. It had been Mrs. Stetson, asking him to be at their house at six a.m. _I shouldn't complain, _he mentally chastised himself_, this sure beats the other assignments I've had this week. I can sit in my car, and the muffins and hot chocolate Mrs. Stetson gave me sure sweetened the deal._

Rechecking his mirrors and scanning the area, Matt pushed his seat back further so he could hide better in the shadows of the car. He wondered about the daughter. The message had said she would be leaving the house at eight o'clock. He checked his watch. Six-thirty. He had heard about this girl, but just in passing reference from Phillip and Jamie. He couldn't remember if they'd mentioned her name, but he had the feeling she was much younger. Hadn't they said she was still in school? He pictured someone in her late teens, maybe twenty. _She's probably just a kid… Great, why did I have to be responsible for the chief's daughter? Dear Lord, please don't let anything happen on my watch._

As Matt looked around again, he spotted movement on the driveway. A shadow was moving along the side of the house. Senses in full alert, he checked the mirrors again for other movement. A girl with a pony tail, dressed in workout clothes and running shoes, walked into view. _Oh my God, it's Sarah! What the hell is she doing here? _Momentarily stunned, he scrambled to get out of the car, but before he could get out, she had jogged off, disappearing around the corner.

Matt thumped the dashboard with the heel of his hand. _Damn it! Why didn't I move fast enough? Now she's gone, and I can't leave my post. How could I have been so easily fooled? She seemed so real, so…nice. You're a sucker, Granger. _If Sarah was indeed working with Birol and his men, or whoever was plotting on the Capitol, she could have been a decoy to lure him away.

_What if they've got the daughter?_ Matt fastened his Bluetooth on his ear so he could quickly call in backup once he'd assessed the situation. He slipped out of the car, quietly ran across the street, and circled the long way around the house so he could not be seen approaching the apartment. As he rounded the house, Matt looked for footprints or other signs of intruders. There was nothing.

Looking through the windows as he went, he saw that it was dark and quiet. He stood in the shadows of the bushes near the garage stairs and listened for any activity in the apartment. It was quiet, too. He crept silently up the stairs, grateful he'd worn his surveillance clothing—black pants, black shirt, black jacket, black sneakers. He'd purposefully bought those shoes so they wouldn't make noise.

Matt listened again at the top of the stairs. There was still no sign of activity. He quickly picked the lock and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. _At least the alarm wasn't set_. He looked around the main living area. Boxes were scattered around the floor, as if someone had just moved in, but he saw no sign of a struggle or activity. The bathroom was empty. Even though he was certain Sarah had been there for no good reason, he hesitated to check the bedroom. _What if the poor Stetson girl is trying to sleep? I'll scare her to death. _Matt approached the open doorway slowly. The bed was empty, and the room was dark. He touched the bed; it was still slightly warm, as if it had recently been slept in. _It just doesn't add up. If they've got her, there would be signs of a struggle. What do I do here, call the Stetsons? Sir, your daughter is missing. Yes, I know I've only been here an hour, but…_ He could imagine the chief's response. Why me? No matter what was going on, he was going to have to call in about Sarah—and losing her again. He pulled out his cell phone so he could dial the number.

Steps sounded on the stairway outside. Matt flattened himself against the wall by the door and waited. A key moved in the lock, and the knob turned. _Oh no, it's probably the daughter coming back. She must have slipped out at some point._ Not taking any chances, Matt stayed put.

In the light coming through the window blinds, Matt could see a tall brunette with a pony tail walk in the apartment, breathing hard as if she had just been running.

Matt caught his breath. _Sarah! What is she doing back here?_ He stood, frozen.

As if sensing his presence, Sarah quickly took two steps further into the room and turned around. The room was dark. All she could see was an intruder in dark clothing. She stifled a scream.

Matt stepped away from the wall so she could see him in the murky light from the window. "Sarah! It's me! It's Matt."

"What are you doing here, how did you find me?" Sarah shuddered, but stood stiff and alert, her eyes wild with fear.

"I should ask you the same thing. Why are you in the Stetsons' apartment? Where's their daughter?"

"What do you mean? How do you know the Stetsons? And it's Matt, now, is it?" Sarah had gathered herself together enough to play along until she could get away.

"Look, Sarah. Unless you can explain yourself, I'm going to have to take you into custody."

"Who the heck are you, that you can take me into custody? You broke in here."

"How do I know _you_ didn't break in? Oh, look, this is stupid. I'll show you my I.D." Matt flipped on the lights, then keeping one hand on the gun in the holster under his jacket, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.

Sarah had been contemplating a way to get Matt off his feet using one of the moves her dad had shown her. Then the light had come on and she saw his hand on his gun. "You're armed."

"Yes, federal agents usually are." Matt flipped open the wallet to show Sarah his I.D.

She took the wallet from him and carefully examined the identification card.

"Hey, it's real. I worked hard for it."

"Sure. I know someone who can fake these."

"You know Sarah, I was serious about taking you in. I wouldn't say anything else that might get you into further trouble."

"Trouble? It says here that you work for the Agency. If that's true, tell me who your superior is."

"That's classified. I can bring you down there and you can meet the nice person in Interrogation instead."

"You're serious, aren't you? I'm not letting you take me anywhere." She handed him the wallet and he put it back in his pocket.

"Look, if you're so innocent, give me your I.D."

Sarah started to push past Matt and head out the door. He caught her and held her tight, her arms to her side. "Sarah, please don't make me cuff you."

She tried to struggle, but Matt was too strong for her. So much for those moves her father had taught her. This guy was ready for them. His nearness was frightening. He smelled slightly of aftershave, and she could feel his breath in her hair.

"Sarah, please trust me. Tell me who you are. If you are innocent, we could end this whole standoff right now."

Sarah was stubborn. "Tell me who your superior is."

Matt decided to play it safe. Sarah may be working for Birol, so he wasn't going to mention Mrs. Stetson's name. "Francine Beaman." At the mention of Francine's name, Sarah relaxed a little, but he didn't let her go. _Did she know her somehow?_

"How do you know that name, Sarah? Tell me right now."

"First tell me her husband's name."

"Look, I can't keep giving out this information. Tell me how you know Mrs. Beaman."

_He calls her Mrs. Beaman. He talks just like one of mom's freshman agents. _She breathed a quick prayer._ Oh God, should I trust him?_ He wasn't hurting her, but they couldn't stand there all day.

"She works with my parents. I've known her all of my life." There, she'd said it. _Oh, please God, don't let this guy be some terrorist._ She shuddered again.

Matt released her arms and stepped back. Sarah. Sarah _Stetson? _"I think I'd better see your I.D. now, please."

Sarah looked at Matt. She couldn't quite read his face, but he seemed nervous. She kept her eyes on him as she grabbed her book bag and pulled out her wallet. She opened it and held it out. Matt stepped forward and took a look. "You said you know someone who can fake an I.D."

"Yes, my brother Phillip." Sarah eyed Matt for his response. He examined the I.D. one more time. Now he looked a little sick. Sarah relaxed. _He's for real, at least_. Sarah went over to the side table and picked up a frame.

Matt looked at the photograph of Sarah with her parents and an elderly woman. "You're their daughter? Of all the people I could run to on a rainy night on the highway, I pick my bosses' daughter? Oh God, I'm going to catch such hell for this." Matt leaned back against the wall, suddenly weak in the knees.

_This guy just can't be faking it. _Sarah began to feel sorry for him—even if he had broken into her apartment. "You must be talking about my dad. Mom isn't so hard on the freshman agents." She crossed her arms and a smirk appeared on her face. "So, _Matt Granger_, why _are_ you in my apartment at seven o'clock in the morning?"

"Uh, I'm supposed to be watching your parents' house. I saw you take off for your run, and I couldn't figure out how the heck you—the girl with the envelope—had gotten here in the first place. It seemed to make sense that you might be in with the terrorists, and somebody was up to no good. So, I came to check on the 'Stetson's daughter.' Since I had never met you, I couldn't have known who you were. I've only heard a little bit about you from your brothers."

Matt took a step backward toward the door. "I'm so sorry for messing up your morning and scaring you like that—and for the whole thing with the envelope. Your mom said you had to leave at eight o'clock. I'd better get back to my car."

Sarah reached out and touched his arm. "Hey, do you have to stay here all day?"

"I really can't talk about my assignment, Sarah."

"Oh. Then you probably can't tell me why my parents have someone watching the house. It isn't the first time Daddy has had the house—or his family—watched. Well, can I at least get you something to drink? My mom made some muffins last night—do you want one?"

_These Stetson women sure were a lot alike. _"No thanks. Your mom gave me a couple this morning when I got here." Matt smiled. "They were good. Besides, I have stuff to eat and drink in my car." A thought hit him suddenly.

"Sarah, do your parents know about the envelope?"

"No, they'd kill me if they knew I'd done something like that. They don't want me anywhere near that sort of thing. Dad would freak if he knew about the two guys at the housing complex."

"Three guys. Sarah, don't forget: I didn't have any reason for arresting the one in the car, and the other two got away. I'm going to have to spill the beans about using you as a mule. I already told them that I gave the envelope to a girl—and got it back from her again."

Sarah was alarmed. "Oh, did you tell them my first name? Maybe we could just not let them know it was me. I hate to upset them. It was kind of crazy to help you."

"Sarah, you are still in danger. Not only do your parents have a right to know, but the Agency needs to know. You can I.D. those guys, and they may be looking for you. I can't give you all the details—just trust me that you aren't safe. How do you get to work?"

"I was planning on taking the Metro. The traffic is just awful when I have to go to work."

Matt thought for a moment. He couldn't leave his post. It would be easier to make the call from inside the apartment. "Sarah, would you mind if I stayed here a moment and made a call?"

"No, I'll just get my breakfast." Sarah went to the kitchenette.

Matt hit the button on his Bluetooth to reactivate it. He called the Agency. "Mrs. Stetson, please. Agent Granger. Yes, thanks, I'll hold."


	5. Chapter 5

Déjà Vu

Chapter Five

Amanda was exhausted. She dreaded stretching out on her couch—she just wanted to go home to her own bed. _I imagine Lee is even more tired—he was so restless last night._ She looked at her watch. Two o'clock. Sarah would be getting ready to leave the Smithsonian; the school field trips for the day would no doubt be over. After a quick text conversation with her daughter, she confirmed that Sarah and Enriquez were getting ready to leave the museum. _Maybe I can meet her at home._ Amanda grabbed her purse and went to Lee's office. He was alone—a rare thing this last week.

Lee looked up when Amanda gave a quick knock and walked in. He smiled. "You're a sight for sore eyes, beautiful lady." As Lee got up from his desk, she could see he was exhausted, too. He came around the desk and greeted her with a hug and a quick kiss on the lips. He pulled back and looked her over. "You need to get some rest—you could close your office door and your blinds and take a nap on your couch. We're expecting a long night."

"I could say the same for you, Lee. We're not as young as we used to be, and you didn't sleep well last night."

"It was hard to sleep, thinking about Birol."

Amanda hesitated. This wouldn't be easy—if it worked at all. "Listen, Lee. I hate having Sarah by herself right now. She's still pretty raw from yesterday, and we'll be working all night. I thought I'd go home, rest a little, have an early dinner with Sarah, then come back."

Lee tensed. He didn't want to hold his wife prisoner. _But I definitely don't want Birol taking her prisoner._ "Amanda." He paused for emphasis. "I just don't feel that it's safe for you to be out on the streets right now. You know that we've been getting intel from every federal agency on the Hill about this threat being imminent. Birol could use the confusion as a cover to get to you."

"I will go with my escort team in an unmarked Agency car. I left the SUV at home anyway. They can stay there with me—we can even have Matt Granger stay, too."

"I don't know, Amanda."

"I can even bring Matt back with me—it will be time for a break for him, anyway. He's been there since 6 a.m. Who do we have to take his place?"

"Enriquez shadowed Sarah today, right? We can have him stay, then see who comes in off the street and have them join him. It would be good to have more than one man there."

Amanda didn't question Lee's protectiveness over Sarah. Amanda had had enough close calls in the early years of their partnership—she could not blame him for wanting to shield their daughter from any harm.

"I'd better go—the sooner I leave, the sooner I'll be back. Please don't worry, Lee. Smith and Chang are good agents. They will bring me back safely."

Lee fought back the urge to beg her to stay. She was an agent. He couldn't keep her in a cage. Besides, she was right—Sarah needed her mother. He pulled Amanda close and hugged her tightly before he kissed her goodbye. He looked into her eyes before letting her go. "Please don't be gone long." Seeing Lee's expression, Amanda almost didn't go, but remembering the anguish Sarah had suffered just the day before, her mother's heart helped her keep her resolve to go to her daughter.

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Sarah turned to Rene Enriquez. "You probably remember that the next stop is mine."

Enriquez nodded. It had been a long day of leading tours around the Smithsonian, and he was beat. He would be glad to continue his duties by sitting in his car, watching the house. Francine's assistant, Dava, had texted him to join Granger there.

"You let me scan the platform before we leave the car, okay?"

Sarah watched Enriquez check the outside of the station, then followed him quickly from the train. She had been through this routine before. She did not enjoy having a shadow—there was such little privacy—but it did give her a feeling of security, especially after her experience at the housing complex the day before. _And, it probably will help add a few years to Daddy's life_, she thought to herself. Enriquez was happily married, and one of Francine's best agents, so at least he was professional.

Enriquez insisted that they stay close and walk quickly, so Sarah hurried to keep up with him. She knew he had good reason for his methods. They descended the stairs and headed for the parking lot.

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Matt shifted his position once again. Six hours ago, he had watched as Enriquez had escorted Sarah down the driveway to his car and taken her to the Metro station. For practical reasons, Matt was glad Amanda had liked his idea to get a tail on her daughter_. But she may think I just want to make points with her and the chief. Too bad that will all change when I tell them that it's my fault she's in danger. I'll be lucky if I even get a job in Analysis._ Matt thought it would have been nice to shadow Sarah himself, but that would have been impossible to pull off. If he was going to be demoted and reassigned, at least he could have enjoyed his last few hours as an agent watching a beautiful woman instead of an empty suburban house. The view of her coming down the driveway in her business suit was etched in his mind. From her wavy, dark hair down to her long, shapely legs, she was lovely.

_Even if I don't catch hell, I have no chance with that girl. Her father would never let me near her. Besides, she's got that dweeb for a boyfriend._ Matt couldn't deny his feelings for Sarah. Except for the half hour that he wondered if she was connected to Adi Birol, he had felt nothing but a growing attraction to her. _Just forget it, Granger. Even if she liked you back, you'd hardly be able to get near her—and when you did get near her, you were holding her like a captive._

Matt forced himself to pay attention to the street in front of him. Traffic had begun to pick up. The few stay-at-home moms were beginning to leave—probably to pick up children from school. His senses went on full alert, though, when a black SUV pulled up to the curb a block away. _That looks like the SUV from yesterday._ He waited to see if someone got out. He sunk down in his seat as far as he could go, keeping his eyes on the SUV, his mirrors, and the surrounding houses.

Matt almost missed the minivan as it drove slowly past him. The SUV had been a false alarm—two kids had gotten out and run up to the house. As the van slowed almost to a stop, he made out the outline of a person holding a camera.Matt activated his Bluetooth.

"Agent Granger calling for Francine Beaman. Yes, I'll hold… Mrs. Beaman, I think I have some activity. Blue Dodge Caravan, late model. Two men inside. One was taking photographs of the house…" He gave the license plate numbers, and then paused for a moment to check his mirrors. In his excitement, Matt had almost forgotten to keep an eye on the area around his car. He could have been made.

"Granger, are you still there? What's going on?"

"The van is leaving. Do you want me to follow it?"

"Yes, but don't get too close. We'll be tracking you with GPS and sending backup."

Matt sat up in his seat and started the car at the same time. He buckled in as he drove away.

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Amanda's phone rang. "Agent Stetson."

"Amanda, it's Francine. Tell your escorts to drive around for a bit. You can't go home yet. Someone drove by taking surveillance photos. Granger's tailing them now."

"Are you tracking him with GPS? Where are they? What kind of vehicle?"

"They're in a blue Dodge minivan approaching the Virginia Square Metro station."

"Francine, Sarah's probably going to be at that station at any moment."

"Amanda, I know what you're thinking. Don't go there. Let Enriquez and Granger take care of things. You're too hot right now."

"Think about your girls, Francine. What would you do?"

"The same thing. But Amanda, consider Lee. He's got agents in trouble all over the place—he doesn't need his wife in danger, too."

"Francine, I promise I'll stay in the car. I have to go. I need to call Sarah. 'Bye.'"

"Smith, take us to the Virginia Square Metro station. Granger is following a blue Dodge minivan and they are headed there."

Smith looked at Chang. "Mrs. Stetson, our orders were to take you home. If that's an unsecure location, we should go back to the Agency."

"My daughter is likely at the station right now. I want to be certain she's safe. Please follow my orders."

Smith sucked in his breath and turned the car towards Virginia Square.

Amanda quickly dialed Sarah's phone and listened to it ring. _Oh, I hope she's just walking in the crowd and can't pick it up._

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Matt followed the van into the parking lot of the Virginia Square Metro station. His phone rang. "Granger here."

"Granger, it's Smith. Chang and I have Agent Stetson, and we're approaching your location."

"My location? Do you know that I've followed a van to the Virginia Square station?"

"Yes. Agent Stetson is concerned about her daughter. She expects her to be arriving—or to have arrived—just now."

Matt tried to look towards the platform, then into the crowd. There were too many cars. "I can't get a visual from my location, and I need to stay on this van."

"When we get there, we'll find you, Granger."

"Agent Beaman said she was sending backup."

The van pulled into a spot. Matt parked two aisles over and kept an eye on it for a moment. There was no movement, so he started to get out of his car to get a closer look. People were making their way from the platform to their cars. With all of the distractions, he didn't notice the gunman slip around his car until the barrel of the pistol was shoved into his side. He stiffened. Before he could put up his arms, the man grunted and fell against him.

Shoving the unconscious gunman away, Matt looked back and saw Sarah standing there, rubbing the side of her hand. Enriquez rushed up behind her, a surprised look on his face.

Matt spoke first. "Thanks! Where'd you learn that move?"

"My dad. Only, I'm not very good with that one. It's not supposed to hurt my hand."

Matt and Enriquez stifled the urge to laugh. "Well, it did the job, and that's what counts. Just let me handle it next time, would ya?" said Enriquez.

Matt looked at the gunman. It was one of the men from the housing complex. Matt cuffed him, and shoved him in the backseat. Enriquez flashed his I.D. to disperse the crowd, and then called the Agency as he ran to get his car. Matt peeked around the SUV next to his Mazda and checked the van. He could see two men inside, but from their angle, they couldn't have seen the gunman go down. He looked back at Sarah.

"Your mom is on her way over here. I followed a suspicious van here from your house and she was nervous. Get in the car before anyone else sees you." He opened his door and Sarah ducked inside the car. He spoke to her as he scanned the parking lot. "Thanks for saving me like that."

Sarah answered his unspoken question from inside the car. "I saw the guy from the housing complex—then I realized he was going after you. I ran up and hit him on the head with the side of my hand before I even gave it a second thought."

"Well, Enriquez is right. You need to keep your distance from these guys." His tone softened. "But, thank you for saving my life."

Enriquez backed his car up to Matt's and got out. "They want me to bring in this guy. You stay with Sarah—but hey, once we get this guy in my car, you two need to get out of here. Forget the van. There's backup coming to take care of them and it's not secure here." The unconscious man was a deadweight, so the two agents were flushed and perspiring by the time they had loaded the still unconscious gunman in Enriquez's car. Rene and Matt buckled him in and secured the man to the seatbelt with zip ties. Just before he drove off, Rene smiled at Matt and Sarah. "He won't be bothering me on the drive in."

Sarah and Matt switched seats and he backed out. As he started to drive for the exit, automatic gunfire rang out ahead of them. Matt pushed Sarah's head towards her lap. "Stay down!"

Matt looked around. The sound of squealing tires came from the street, and he got a glimpse of a paneled van speeding away. He couldn't get a good view of the minivan he had tailed anymore. He headed towards the exit, but it was blocked by a crowd. A car sat in the street, one of the doors open.

Matt tried to dial Smith's number. There was no answer. He dialed the Agency. The emergency dispatcher answered. "This is Agent Granger. I've got a Level One Emergency. I'm at Virginia Square, near the Fairfax Drive exit. There's been shots fired from an automatic weapon and a car appears to be disabled. The chick is secure. No. He should be enroute with the gunman. No answer from Smith." He waited a moment. "The metro police are here. How long until my backup arrives?" Matt swore under his breath. "Request permission to investigate."

Francine came on the line with Granger. "Granger, are there any other Agency personnel onsite? We have three agents coming to your location, and you were just with Enriquez. The other backup units are five minutes out."

"Ma'am, Enriquez left before the shots were fired. He should be enroute. The metro police are here. I'd like to request permission to have one guard Sarah while I investigate the disabled car."

"I hate for you to leave her alone, but we've got to know what happened. Show him your I.D. and threaten the guy with his life."

"I'll check back with you in a few minutes. Granger out."

Sarah still kept her head down. "There's a car stopped in the street?"

He looked down at her. "I'm sorry, Sarah, I need to check it out. Please stay in the car. I'll ask one of the officers to stay with you."

Sarah nodded.

Matt got out of the car and flashed his I.D. at one of the officers running up to the exit. He spoke quietly, hoping Sarah could not hear him. "Federal agent. I need to ask you to guard my passenger while I investigate the shooting. We have reason to believe the victims are federal agents."

"Uh, sure. Is she a suspect?"

"No, but you'll be sorry for the rest of your life if anything happens to her. Got it?"

"Sure, pal." The officer frowned. As Matt ran off, the officer mumbled to himself. "These federal agents, so high and mighty."

Matt pushed his way through the onlookers, then flashed his I.D. at the uniformed men. "Federal agent. Let me through." Finally reaching the car, he could see one of the rear doors was open. The front passenger window had been shot out. He looked in the front seat where Smith and Chang were slumped in their seats. Checking their pulses, Matt was surprised to see no blood, except for a few cuts on Smith's face from the broken window. The air was sickly sweet. Covering his mouth with a handkerchief, he checked the backseat. Matt's stomach lurched—Amanda was gone.

Matt reached in and grabbed her purse and briefcase. His head was swimming, and he fought to clear it. As he backed away from the car, he nearly collided with an Arlington police officer.

"Whoa, there. You can't just take that out of the car like that! Who are you, anyway?" The man was an obvious veteran. By his expression, Matt knew he would have trouble getting back to his car with Amanda's things.

"I'm a federal agent." Matt flashed his I.D. at the officer who challenged him. He pulled out his card and handed it to the man.

"There's classified information in these. Call my superior if you like, but I need to get back to my car. And hey, can't you get some oxygen for those guys? Where are the paramedics?"

"They'll be here in less than a minute." The officer looked at Matt's card, then peered at his face. "You okay? You got a dose of that gas they used."

"Yeah, I'll be okay." He saw Sarah over the officer's shoulder. She stood, gaping at the car and then looked at the purse and briefcase in Matt's hand. The officer turned and followed his gaze. "Look, her mother was in that car..."

The officer looked back at Matt, sympathy for Sarah on his face. "Get her out of here. And you had better be on the level with me, young man."

Matt put his arm around Sarah and guided her back to his car. The officer he had left there was gone. "Scum." He muttered under his breath. Sarah, obviously in shock, let him help her into her seat. She had not said a word. He put Amanda's things in the backseat and called the Agency to tell Francine the bad news.

He got in the car and drove to another exit, then headed towards the Agency. "Sarah, your mom will be okay. We'll find her." Sarah did not respond. Matt pulled over and looked at her. He took her hand.

"Talk to me. Are you alright?" Sarah looked over at him and then looked away.

Instinctively, Matt pulled Sarah to him and held her close for a few minutes. Stiff at first, she gradually relaxed against him and started weeping. "Those poor men… Oh God, where did they take my mom?"

Relieved that she was talking, Matt continued to hold Sarah. "I don't know, but we'll figure it out. Listen, your dad is worried sick. I need to get you to the Agency right away." Gently he pulled his arms away and maneuvered the car back onto the street.

Sarah sat quietly as Matt drove and then finally spoke again. "Daddy must be beside himself. He's crazy in love with Mom. I don't know what he'd do without her."

Matt looked over at Sarah. She was staring out the window. She had stopped crying, but she was no longer in shock. He knew he could not have brought her to her father in that condition.

They drove in silence for a few minutes. Sarah remembered that she had not checked her phone for the last half hour. Maybe her father was trying to reach her. She had two voicemail messages. Dialing the number, she listened. A sob caught in her throat, and Matt quickly looked over at her again. "It's my mother. She called me just before…" Sarah's voice trailed off as she listened to the second message. It was a man's voice—Matt thought it sounded like the chief's.

"I should have called my dad already. We were right. He's a wreck." Sarah speed-dialed her father while Matt tried to concentrate on the road. He felt like he was intruding in his superior's personal life, even though Lee's anguish was Agency business.

"Daddy! Yes, it's me, Sarah. Listen, I'm okay. We're on our way in right now. Agent Granger is driving me to the Agency." Sarah listened for a moment. "I know, Daddy." She stifled another sob. "Mom is going to be okay. She's tough." Matt glanced at Sarah and could see in her face that she was putting on a brave front for her father. It was all she could do to keep from crying. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"We're almost there, Daddy. I'll see you in a few minutes." Sarah hung up. She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her face.

After a moment, she pulled a tissue from her purse and attempted to clean herself up. "I can't let him see me like this. I can't imagine what it must be like to be in charge of all those people, having to be the courageous leader, when your wife…" Sarah broke off. "Oh, I'm going to start in again."

Matt fumbled for the words he wanted. "Sarah, you're being really brave. But don't keep it all in just for your father. You've been through a lot—and it's going to get worse when we get to the Agency. You will probably be debriefed, and you'll have to tell our story. Then, you'll have to work with a sketch artist so we can identify the goons who were following you. I'm sorry, I know it isn't what you need right now, but it will help us find your mother sooner."

"Thanks, Matt." She looked over at him. He was looking ahead, his intense eyes concentrating on the Georgetown traffic. He glanced in her direction.

"You okay? We're going in the back entrance, so this is it. Be prepared to move quickly. I'm not taking any chances this close to safety."

"But I thought it was a secure garage."

"A garage can only be so secure." Matt's army training took over. "I won't be relaxed until we are in the bullpen. Got it?" Matt maneuvered the car into a spot near the Agency entrance—it was a reserved spot, but he figured he had good reason to use it. He quickly grabbed Amanda's things, and jumped out of his car. Sarah followed. She heard the car locks click as Matt put a hand to her back and propelled her through the parking garage. She was glad she hadn't worn heels.

The guard at the entrance was ready for them. He quickly handed Sarah her guest pass. Thankfully, the elevator didn't take long. Within one minute, Matt had guided Sarah through the bullpen doors.

Lee, who was watching for Sarah from his office, saw them and rushed to his daughter. "Sarah," was all he could choke out before he wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug. The bullpen grew quiet as the agents and other personnel tried not to stare.

Francine came out. "Everyone get back to work."

Lee found his voice. "Thank you for bringing my daughter to me, Granger." He turned to guide Sarah to his office.

Francine caught up to them and gave Sarah a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before whispering some words of comfort. She went back to her office.

"Sir." Granger stopped Lee. "These are your wife's. I, uh, secured them from the car." Lee looked at Granger and took the purse and briefcase.

His voice was choked with emotion. "Thank you. I can bet you caught hell for taking these from the scene."

"Well, the Arlington police officer in charge may be giving the Agency a call." Lee nodded and offered him a slight smile. With one arm wrapped around Sarah, he walked back to his office. He didn't care. The physical reminders of his wife would be a comfort for now.


	6. Chapter 6

Déjà Vu

Chapter Six

Amanda woke up slowly, only becoming aware of her surroundings after several minutes. She could only see bits of light through the black fabric of the hood. She had no idea how long they had been driving. She tried to sit up, but was forced back down when a wave of dizziness overcame her. The van stopped with a jolt, and she was thrown against the side. She heard the doors open, and a rough hand grabbed her arm, dragging her from the van. Stumbling, she nearly fell. Jerked to her feet once more, Amanda was pulled along. The air changed as she sensed that she had entered a building. It was damp, and smelled of mildew.

Her captor roughly guided her down a flight of stairs. The air grew more stale as they descended and walked several yards. A door creaked open, and Amanda was thrown into a room. She struggled to keep from falling. The hood was yanked from her head and the door slammed shut.

Amanda thought back to the first few moments of her attack and capture. She had just finished leaving Sarah a message when Smith saw the van roaring up behind them. "Mrs. Stetson, get on the floor. Now!"

Amanda instinctively knew then that the van at her house at been a ploy to lure them to the Metro station. If it was Birol taking her again, she needed to send some sort of message to Lee. _He can't lose hope. He needs to know I thought of him._ Crouched on the floor of the car, she bounced against the front seat as the skidded to a stop. She yanked her necklace off, wrapped it around her phone, placed the phone in her purse, and then pushed it away from her. It would have been nice to have the GPS tracking, but if someone were about to take her hostage, they would destroy the phone as soon as possible.

Smith and Chang had no time to call the Agency or prepare for an attack. Gunfire exploded the glass on Chang's side of the car. Both men tried to return fire, but a gas canister had come through the window and landed on the floor near Amanda, filling the car with sickly sweet gas. Amanda fought to stay awake, but it was futile. She was only vaguely aware of being pulled from the car.

Her eyes adjusting to the dim light of her cell, Amanda thought she saw movement along the walls. Shuddering, she groped for the chair sitting in the middle of the room and sat down.

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Jamie and Phillip were waiting in Lee's office when he brought Sarah in and shut the door. The two brothers went to their sister and hugged her.

Jamie spoke first. "We're so glad you're safe, Sarah."

Sarah regarded Jamie. His face was drawn and pale with worry. She put her hand on his arm. "Dad will find her, won't you, Dad?"

They looked at Lee. He had sat down on the couch, the relief of seeing his daughter quickly giving way again to fatigue and concern over Amanda. He felt old. Knowing that their three children, despite being adults, needed him, helped feed what little resolve he had.

He looked up at them for a moment. _Amanda needs me to stay strong. They need me to stay strong._ He spoke quietly. "We'll find her. By God, we'll find her."

Sarah went and sat beside her father. "Daddy, there's something you need to know. I can identify some of the men who are probably in on this… Well, one of them was already arrested."

Lee looked sharply at his daughter. "Francine told me that you knocked a guy out. What was that all about? What were you doing near them, and how do you know who they are?" Both he and Francine had been alarmed when Enriquez had told them the story on his way in to the Agency.

"Matt was getting out of his car at the parking lot in Virginia Square. I saw one of the men run up to him. We weren't far away, so before I could even think about what I was doing, I ran up and hit the guy holding the gun. I got him on the head with the side of my hand. …Um, I think we need to work on that move. It still stings."

Phillip gave Sarah a gentle slap on the back. "Way to go, Sis! Nice one!"

Jamie and Lee exchanged looks. They were not as impressed. "Sarah, do you realize that you were being shadowed by Enriquez for your personal safety? You shouldn't have taken it upon yourself to defend one of my agents. Enriquez could have done it—or Granger might have defended himself." Lee stood up and ran his hand through his hair. "Hell, Sarah, the guy had a gun!"

Before Sarah could speak up further, Lee continued. "How did you know that Granger was even threatened? How did you know he was an agent? He's still pretty new."

Sarah grew quiet. She was starting to consider Matt her friend. They had met under unlikely circumstances, and although he had brought trouble to her, he had done his best to fix it. He had been so kind and protective on the way in to the Agency… She stopped that train of thought. _Sarah, get ahold of yourself! You hardly know this man._

"Sarah, I'm waiting for an answer." Lee was stern.

She took a breath. "Do you remember the other night, when I was late to Jamie's party?"

"Yes." Lee was trying to be patient. Phillip and Jamie each took a seat and looked at Sarah, waiting for her to go on.

"Well, I was late because of the rain, but I was also late because I was helping someone deliver a package."

Lee began pacing and ran his hand through his hair. _Please don't let this be what I think it is._

"Who asked you to deliver the package? No wait. Sarah, we can't officially debrief you. Do you understand that you'll have to tell this story again so someone can get a report?"

Remembering Matt's warning, she nodded.

Lee sighed, sat back down and looked at Sarah. "Okay. Who asked you to deliver the package?"

"Well, it was a man in a white sweatshirt. He was running from three guys. I sort of got a look at them in the rain, but then I recognized them again when they were at my apartment."

All three men's eyes grew wide. "What the…? They came to your apartment? When were you going to tell me, Sarah?" Realizing that he was going to shut Sarah down if he pushed too hard, Lee backed off a bit. "Uh, look, you've skipped a lot. Try to tell the story in order, so we can all understand it better. How did this man manage to ask you a question, if you were driving your car?"

Sarah took another breath. "The rain was coming down so hard, the wipers couldn't keep up. I pulled over. As soon as I'd stopped, I saw the man running towards my car. He knocked on the window and tried to talk to me. It was so loud in the car, I rolled the window down a little so I could hear him."

Lee sighed again and rolled his eyes, but refrained from interrupting.

"He asked me if I could please help him. I told him to take off. I started looking for my cell phone to call one of you, but he kept pleading with me. He really looked like he was in trouble…" Sarah hesitated.

"Go on." Lee knew Sarah expected a lecture. 

"He asked me to take a package and deliver it for him."

Phillip snorted and grinned knowingly. Jamie shot him a warning look.

Sarah glanced around at the men. They didn't seem surprised by her story, and the expected lecture hadn't come. She hesitated before continuing. Lee saw the look. "What's the matter?"

"There seems to be something you all are not telling me."

Lee put his arm around her shoulders. "Just finish your story. I'll explain later."

"Well, I went to the restaurant—the Railroad Café—and instead of finding one guy in a Phillies cap, half the restaurant was filled with people in Phillies caps. There was a tour bus in the parking lot. I left the restaurant and took the envelope with me. I hid it in my apartment after I got home from the birthday party."

"The next day, when I went to the gym on campus, the man in the sweatshirt was there, working out. He saw me, and I tried to run away from him."

Lee couldn't help tensing up at the thought of some guy chasing his daughter—even if it was one of his agents.

Sarah continued. "I ran to the parking lot, but he found me there. He didn't threaten me—in fact, he tried to reassure me that he just needed to get the envelope back, and he'd leave me alone. He told me that he was in trouble, and that it could be a matter of life or death."

Lee put out a hand to stop Sarah. "Were those his exact words? Did he give you any details? Did he tell you his name?"

"No, that's exactly what he said. He didn't tell me his name. I didn't have the envelope with me, so I told him to meet me at the student union later. Then, I ran away, using the avoidance patterns you taught me, Daddy. When I got to my apartment, he was nowhere in sight."

Phillip snorted again. He had heard the other side of the story. Jamie shot him another look.

Sarah gave Phillip a look, too. "Really, Phillip, he wasn't there. Daddy, you called me about that time. I should have told you when you called—there were two men standing in the courtyard, watching my apartment."

Lee shifted uncomfortably, fighting the inclination to lecture his daughter again. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid you'd create a scene—you know, send a bunch of men over and shut down the campus or something."

At that remark, Jamie and Phillip cast knowing glances at one another. Lee ignored them.

"Besides, I figured out a way to get rid of them."

Lee's eyebrows shot up.

"Your invitation to move into Grandma's apartment came with perfect timing. I got my neighbors to help me carry some boxes down, so I wouldn't be alone. Then, on the last trip, I just shut the door, as if I had to come back for more. I left the parking lot as fast as I could, and I didn't see the men again. I went straight to the student union, gave the man the envelope, and went back to my car."

When Sarah finished, Lee looked Sarah in the eyes. "Sarah, you know who the man with the envelope is, don't you?"

She hesitated. The urge to protect a friend and the desire to be truthful with her father waged war inside her head. After a moment, she sighed. She knew she had to tell the truth. So many things had happened that week, and now her mother had been kidnapped. Sarah was suddenly weary. She knew she needed her father's shoulder to lean on. She couldn't hide the truth from him.

"It was Agent Granger. He didn't know who I was either, but we figured it out this morning when he was watching the house."

Lee sighed. _At least she's being honest with me._ _If only Amanda were here. She should be hearing this story with me._

Sarah became concerned at Lee's pained expression. "Daddy, is Matt in trouble for asking me to help him? I know you might be mad at him about the envelope, but he got me safely here—and he was really kind to me this afternoon." Sarah didn't think it was a good idea to tell about the scene in her grandmother's apartment.

"Oh, he's had a lecture or two—and a few threats from me—but he got the envelope back—so no, he's not in trouble. Listen, Sarah. I have to meet with some agents, call the director, that sort of thing..."

"It's okay, Daddy. I've kept you long enough. You need to work on finding Mom."

Lee sighed. "Yeah. Uh, how about you go and camp out in her office? She's got that couch, and you can have some privacy if you want. You could work on your laptop or something."

They both got up, and Sarah gave her father a hug. "Thanks, Daddy, for not getting mad at me. I love you."

Lee hugged her back. "I love you, too, Pumpkin. I'm so glad you are safe."

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Amanda's head jerked up. She had been trying to stay awake with little success—afraid of falling off the chair, but more afraid of being caught off guard should someone come back in the room. Her mouth felt like cotton from the lack of water and whatever gas had been thrown in the car. She groaned as she tried to move her head. Her neck was painful and sore from falling asleep in the chair and from her rough treatment.

The dream had seemed real. Amanda was trying to get to the bullpen, but an unknown person kept getting in her way, pushing her back. Then, her family had been in the hallway outside the doors, reaching out their hands to her, but she couldn't get to them.

Her thoughts went to Lee. _Why did I have to leave the Agency?_ _They were waiting for an opportunity, Amanda Stetson, and you gave it to them. Now you've given your husband a load of anguish to deal with, on top of all the strain from work. Phillip, Jamie, and Sarah are probably worried sick, too._ She imagined their faces—then Jennifer, Amy, and the grandchildren. She clung to the comfort of knowing they were at least praying for her. She might be physically alone, but Amanda could imagine her family there with her.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway. A key fumbled in the lock, and the door swung open with a thud. Suddenly a bright light flooded the formerly dim room. Involuntarily, Amanda ducked her head and put a hand up to shield her eyes.

"Well, I must say that you are looking very good for a woman of your age, Mrs. King. Or, I should say, Mrs. Stetson." Amanda's hand was pushed roughly away from her face, and she was forced to look up at the speaker.

Squinting in the light, Amanda made out the face of a man with glittering dark eyes. His hair was salt and pepper, but his features were unmistakable. It was Adi Birol.

Two men stood behind Birol—one in the hall and one in the doorway. There was no chance of escape, and they all knew it.

Birol squatted down in front of Amanda and ran his hand up her leg. He leaned close to her face until he was just an inch or two away. She forced herself to sit still and keep her expression calm. He smiled and stared at her, his eyes penetrating.

After a few moments, Birol released Amanda's leg and stood up quickly. He took a step away. "You needn't worry. You're not my type. I prefer younger women."

_He wants to see what will make me break._ Amanda said nothing, looking straight ahead.

"Don't you want to know why I've brought you here? I went to a lot of trouble to get you."

Amanda did not answer.

Like a prowling cat, Birol circled around Amanda. "Did you know I was in town, Mrs. Stetson?"

Amanda sat silent.

Birol stopped in front of her. "Answer me." His face was calm, but his eyes still glittered menacingly. When Amanda did not answer, he slapped her face.

Amanda grunted, the pain in her neck intensifying from the force of his slap.

Birol grinned maliciously. "You may not wish to talk now, but you will after a night with your rat friends." He turned and went out. One of the guards dropped a small bottle of water on the floor and shut the door. The lights went out. The key turned in the lock and the hallway grew quiet.

The dim light that came from around the door was fading. Amanda reached up gingerly to touch her face. Her cheek stung.

Amanda forced herself to envision the faces of her family again. She got up and fumbled for the water. Her legs were stiff from sitting so long, so she began pacing. She stopped for a moment to open the water, considering if she should drink it. Her thirst won out and she took a few sips as she began pacing again. _If I can keep walking, I can stay awake._


	7. Chapter 7

Déjà Vu

Chapter Seven

Lee sat at his desk, going over intelligence reports, hoping to catch something that his agents had missed_. Hang in there, Amanda. We're trying to help you._ Lee felt a tightness in his chest as his mind imagined what could be happening to her. _Don't go there, Stetson. Amanda wouldn't want you to be thinking the worst._

A buzzing noise came from Amanda's purse. _I should check her phone. It's rung several times._ Lee turned his chair to his credenza and picked up the purse. It smelled faintly of her perfume. He unzipped it and looked inside. Finding the phone, he reached for it. He was surprised to find a necklace wrapped around it. _Amanda's heart pendant! _Lee set the phone aside and held the necklace in the palm of his hand. As he looked at it, he envisioned it around his wife's neck. Remembering her nearness of the other night, when he had helped her unclasp it, he shut his eyes, and a tear escaped down his cheek.

Lee sat there for a moment before a realization came over him. He remembered bringing the necklace to Amanda at Adi Birol's hideout all those years ago. It had meant so much to her to have it back. Now, she had given it to Lee. He knew she did not want Birol to see the necklace again. _But, Amanda's also telling me to hang in there._ Lee brought the necklace to his lips. _Please God, help me get my wife back safely._

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Matt glanced into Amanda's office. Sarah was curled up on the couch, leaning her head against the back cushions. She had been in there ever since the sketch artist had left.

Even though Matt had been writing up his report, he had been distracted by Sarah's presence so close by. At one point, her cell phone rang.

"Hi Jeff. Oh, thanks for calling… No, I was there, but I didn't see anything."

_Why is she lying to her boyfriend? She just went through a traumatic experience._ Matt knew she could not tell anyone outside the Agency about her mother. _But surely she wants to let him know something. She's had a hellish day._ Matt had chided himself for listening in to the conversation.

"…I'm sorry about the other day. I know it wasn't what you expected. I just need some space right now. It's a big decision." Sarah's voice had dropped. A minute or two later, looking upset, Sarah had put the phone back down.

Matt had tried not to look her way and kept typing. He had wondered if he'd heard correctly—and now, an hour or two later, he still felt a twinge of guilt for listening to the conversation. _The guy proposed and she turned him down? _

Narelle, one of the support personnel, walked into the bullpen carrying a box full of sandwiches and chips. Hungry agents swarmed the hapless girl.

Seeing the commotion, Francine swept out of her office and rescued her. "Just hold on, you vultures. Let's keep this orderly." While the other agents were taking their pick, Matt went into the hall to get two bottled waters from the vending machine. Coming back into the bullpen, Matt grabbed a couple of sandwiches and some chips.

Arms laden with the food, Matt stood in Amanda's doorway and looked uncertainly at Sarah. "Do you feel like eating anything?"

Sarah sat up and swung her legs around so her feet were on the floor. "Oh, thank you, Matt." She was trying to sound bright, but she wasn't successful. Matt walked in and put the food on a table near the couch. He handed Sarah a water bottle.

"At least drink this, even if you don't feel like eating."

She took a sip and looked at Matt. "Do you want to sit down?"

Matt had hoped she would invite him to stay. He needed to ask her about the debriefing. Strangely, Chief Stetson had not called him into his office. He may have been worried about his wife, but Matt had been certain the chief would have flipped, knowing how he had endangered his daughter.

Matt offered Sarah the sandwiches. "Take your pick—turkey or ham."

Sarah grabbed a turkey sandwich. "So, you must be pretty busy—you guys are working all night. You don't have to sit with me."

"I imagine you'd probably like to be alone—"

"Oh no, I appreciate the company. It's hard to sit here like this. I keep thinking about my mom."

"Well, I can't tell you any details, but there's a lot of activity out there. No real leads, yet, but there's reason to have hope. The sketches helped a lot. Those guys have been spotted elsewhere."

"Thanks, Matt." Sarah took a small bite of her sandwich.

"How did the debriefing go?"

"It was okay… Although it was pretty tiring to tell the story twice—first to my family, and then to another agent."

"Listen. I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to ask you a question about all that. Uh, did you tell your dad everything?"

"Yes. Please don't be upset with me. I didn't want to tell him it was you with the envelope, but I just couldn't handle deceiving him. He asked me a direct question, and I wasn't going to lie to him. He didn't need that right now."

"You did the right thing, Sarah. To be honest, I was going to spill the beans if you didn't. I'm just surprised that I haven't gotten a dressing down yet, or worse."

"Oh, well, don't worry about Daddy. I think it's all good."

"What? I have trouble believing that."

"Trust me, Matt." Sarah laughed a small laugh.

Matt was surprised and glad to hear the laugh. _She's so beautiful when her eyes light up like that…_

"He's not upset. He admitted he'd chewed you out. But, since you got the envelope back, he was going to let it go—at least for now." She took another small bite of the sandwich. "You know, you never asked why I didn't deliver the package."

"The guy in the Phillies cap was one of our agents. He told us about the other fans at the restaurant."

"Listen, I'm keeping you too long."

"I don't mind at all. It's been nice." He smiled at Sarah, and started gathering up his trash. "I'd better get back to my report. I need to be ready to leave at any time."

"Thanks for the sandwich, Matt."

"You didn't eat much."

"It's okay. It'll keep. Maybe I'll eat some more later."

Matt smiled again. He took his trash and went back to his desk. Sarah noticed how his eyes smiled, too.

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Lee put the phone down. He sat motionless, momentarily overcome by the news. _A break! Oh, thank God!_ Agents questioning vagrants in the warehouse district had gotten a lead. Someone had seen a woman being hustled from a white van into a building. Lee gathered himself together and prepared to let Francine and Beaman in on the news. They needed to have a game plan. _Just try to stay cool, Stetson. She may not be there…_

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The bullpen was abuzz with agents preparing for the raid on Birol's headquarters. Sarah, who had closed herself in Amanda's office to get some sleep, opened the door and looked out. Lee, dressed in black, was checking one of the guns he carried on missions. As he placed it in his shoulder holster, he noticed Sarah watching him. He strode towards her.

"Were you able to get some rest?"

"Yes. Daddy, what's going on?"

"We have a lead. Listen, I can't tell you anything, Sarah. Just keep praying for your mom."

"Looks like I should pray for you, too, Daddy."

"Yes, I need to go on this one. I'll be careful. Please don't worry about me." Lee smiled down at Sarah and gave her a hug. He held her close and kissed her hair.

Sarah watched silently as the agents left the bullpen. It was strangely quiet. Only a few agents and assistants remained at their desks. Francine and Efraim had gone with her father. She had never seen Matt. Sarah went back into her mother's office and closed the door.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

A light came on in the hallway. Exhausted from her endless pacing, Amanda had long ago sat down in the chair. Her mouth was dry, her water bottle emptied long ago. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, but she tried to put it out of her mind. Occasionally she felt movement near her feet, but she would kick out, hoping the rats would stay away. Now they scurried along the walls, away from the light.

The door burst open. Two men came into the room. Amanda was forced to her feet, and a hood was pulled over her head while her hands were cuffed with a cable tie. She was pushed from the room and down the hall.

Stiff again from sitting, Amanda stumbled on the stairs, painfully hitting her knee. Her captors pulled her back up and propelled her the rest of the way up and out of the building to what seemed to be the same van that had brought her there. Doors slammed and the van sped off, tires squealing. From the lack of light through the hood, Amanda knew it was still night.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Enriquez pulled the black surveillance van up to the curb. He and Matt began setting up the communications equipment. Two other vans pulled up on other sides of the building and set up cameras that they linked to the communications van. Agents poured out of the vehicles and moved to their designated locations.

"Okay, people. Is everyone in position?" Lee's deep voice resonated in Matt's earpiece. Each agent checked in. "Let's go."

Matt watched the monitors as the agents entered the building.

Lee's heart sank. Agent after agent was coming up empty. He watched the monitors in his van. No activity.

"Chief, this is Agent Gonzales. I think you'll want to see this. I'm two levels down from the street."

Lee left his van and ran into the building. Agent Gonzales met him at the bottom of the stairs. "Sir, it's this way." Lee followed Gonzales to a room down the hall. A water bottle lay on the floor, and a chair sat in the middle of the room. A cable tie lay on the floor, apparently dropped as someone had left in a hurry.

"The door has been altered to lock from the outside only, and the lights come on from the outside as well." Gonzales hesitated. "It appears to be a holding cell. We found two others, but this one was the only one that had any appearance of being used."

Lee walked in the room. He pulled on a glove and picked up the bottle, smelled it for traces of drugs, and looked at the rim. There were faint smudges of lipstick. _It could be Amanda's color. I just don't know._ "Gonzales, do you have an evidence bag on you?" Gonzales produced a bag and Lee dropped the bottle inside. "I want it checked for evidence of drugs and dusted for prints." The entire building would be checked, but Lee did not want this bottle forgotten.

Lee walked over to the chair. He put his ungloved hand on the back cushion. _Amanda, were you here? Where did you go?_ Remembering something, he pulled his hand away and brought it to his face. _Amanda's perfume. She was here!_ He looked around the room again and grimaced. The dirty chair was the only source of comfort. Rat droppings riddled the room. The entire building was damp and smelled of mildew. Lee's stomach lurched. _Oh, Amanda. Why didn't you stay with me?_


	8. Chapter 8

Déjà Vu

Chapter Eight

Sunlight filtered through the spaces between the boards that covered the outside of the windows. Amanda stirred on her cot and opened her eyes. She reached to brush the hair from her face, and then winced at the painful reminder that she was cuffed with a cable tie.

_I don't suppose they have a bathroom in this place._ Amanda sat up and looked around the room. It had been too dark the night before, but now she could see that she was in the bedroom of what appeared to be an abandoned house. At least it doesn't smell like mildew. Rats still ran freely, but Amanda now had the luxury of a cot. Unable to stay awake any longer, she had allowed herself to lie down. The rest had revived her spirits, even though her throat hurt from thirst. At least her neck felt a little better. Amanda stretched it and looked around the room. A camera was perched high on the wall. Too high to reach.

Amanda could hear movement in the hall, then a key in the lock of her door. Amanda stood up as Adi Birol entered. He wasn't very tall, and she wanted as much advantage as she could get this time.

"Good morning, Mrs. King—oh, I'm sorry. Mrs. Stetson." Birol's eyes glittered as he pasted on a fake smile.

Amanda stared straight ahead, not acknowledging Birol.

"Still not talking, I see. Well, it doesn't matter. We've managed to stay a step ahead of your husband and his team. They certainly got to our old place too late to find you."

Amanda's eyes flickered. _Oh, Lee. Stay strong!_

"Ah, I can see that brought a reaction." Birol walked around the room as Amanda continued to stand motionless. "I hope you were able to get some sleep last night. We'll be bringing you something to eat and drink shortly. You'll even get a bathroom break, if you behave yourself. I like to keep my workers happy."

Amanda forced herself to remain expressionless as her mind worked. _What on earth is he planning to do?_

Birol motioned to one of the guards who stood in the doorway. A young woman carrying a bag of food and a cup was ushered in. "This is Marjan. She has volunteered to be a heroine for the cause. You, Mrs. Stetson, are going to be her escort. I thought you could get acquainted, since you will be working together."

Birol spoke to the guards as he left. One of the men came in and took Amanda by the arm. He led her down the hall to the bathroom and pushed her inside. Amanda called out to the guard when she was done. He opened the door and took her back to her room. Before he left, he cut the cable tie on her wrists, then attached a new one to Amanda's right hand. Pulling her towards Marjan, he lifted her left hand. Amanda was surprised to see a cable tie. Working quickly, the guard connected their wrists with another cable tie, then left the room with the other guard and locked the door.

Amanda looked at Marjan. "I don't suppose you have a knife or a pair of scissors on you, do you?"

"Don't be stupid." Amanda detected an accent, but could not make it out. "You must have seen the camera. Do you want to eat, or not? We will leave soon."

"Yes, thanks." Amanda was grateful that she had been able to wash her hands, after a fashion. No soap, but this was not a time to be picky.

Marjan walked with Amanda to the cot. It was fast food, but Amanda didn't care. She was hungry.

"Can you tell me what 'job' Birol wants us to do?" Amanda had guessed that Marjan might be the suicide bomber the contact had mentioned, so she needed to play dumb.

"I am going to blow up a bomb at the Capitol, and you are to come along. I am planning to give my life to the cause, and you will be used as a message to your intelligence community. It is time your people knew who had the upper hand."

"What kind of bomb, Marjan?"

"A dirty bomb. It is easy to carry one that can do a lot of damage. I will appear to be pregnant, and you will be my 'mother.' We will die together, along with many others."

Amanda sensed that Marjan was tired of the questions. _She doesn't have her heart in it._ She finished her water and waited silently for several minutes. _Ask her, ask her now. This may be the only way out._

Amanda spoke quietly. "Marjan, was it your idea to wear the bomb?"

Marjan looked at her sharply. Amanda held her breath, hoping she hadn't pushed too hard.

Finally Marjan spoke. "No. My family is being threatened at home. If I don't follow through on this, they will all die—my parents, my younger brothers, my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and my cousins."

"Where is home?"

"Northern Iraq."

"Why can't they appeal to the government?"

"Surely you know the answer to that one, Mrs. Stetson. You're an intelligence operative. This group is operating outside the government's control. They will kill anyone who talks to the government about them."

"Marjan, don't give up hope. I may have a way to help your family, but we will have to work together."

Marjan hesitated. Reading her expression, Amanda could see the skepticism there. Then resignation.

"Go on."

The two women continued to talk quietly, trying not to draw attention to whoever was watching them on the camera.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

The bullpen was bustling once again. Dressed in street clothes, the agents checked their weapons and prepared for public surveillance. Agent by agent, Leatherneck and Phillip were testing lapel cameras, earpieces, and other paraphernalia.

Matt spotted Sarah, her face drawn, watching the commotion from her mother's doorway. He went to her.

"Hey." He didn't know what to say. Sarah had broken down when her father had brought back the news of their failed mission. Lee had taken Sarah into her mother's office and sat with her for a long time, trying to calm her.

Matt imagined that there wasn't much he could say that would cheer her. He put his hand on her arm.

Sarah looked into Matt's face and put her hand on top of his. "Be careful, okay?"

Matt smiled at her and nodded, then moved away.

Lee came out of his office, dressed once again in his suit and tie. Sarah could see his gun under his jacket. He walked over to her and gave her a hug, then held her at arm's length so he could see her face.

"Sarah, I don't have to go out there. I can monitor things from in here."

"I'll be okay, Daddy. Francine will keep me updated. If you find Mom, she's going to need you there. Just be safe, okay?" Sarah's eyes belied her cheerful voice. She was tired and scared.

"I will, Pumpkin." Lee had leaned in close again so no one could overhear the term of endearment. It was their personal secret—he marveled that Sarah did not complain about it, even at the age of twenty-three. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and stepped away.

"Okay people, let's roll. The crowds will be lining up soon for today's tours."

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Birol watched as his man finished attaching the bomb to Marjan and then checked the detonator. Amanda stood as far away as possible so she would not be in the way. She wore a hat, and held a pair of sunglasses that she would put on once they were at the Capitol. The man stepped away, and she moved closer again so Marjan could button her black blouse. It was loose, over a camisole. The front of the bomb had been fitted with a cover, so she looked pregnant. Very pregnant.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Lee scanned the monitors once again and checked the clock in the van he shared with Agent Johnson. The Agency director had pulled a few strings, giving Lee charge of the operation, which included a team from Homeland Security. The Capitol Police were on alert.

Tourists were snapping photos and ambling about in the morning sunshine, unaware of any possible threat.

"Beaman, do you see anything?"

"Just the two pregnant women Enriquez mentioned earlier, but they ah, well, looked authentic."

Lee smiled grimly. "Look, this goes for everyone. Don't make any assumptions. Keep marking the pregnant women and see if they do anything unusual as they move about the area."

Matt shifted his feet. He did not take his eyes off of the tourists moving into their places at the end of the line near him. His head was starting to throb. He pulled a water bottle from his suit pocket and took a sip. He watched as another pregnant woman joined the line. She was accompanied by a man whom he took to be her husband. She was perhaps three or four months pregnant. _Too small for any real bomb_.

He spoke into his mic. "I have one who just joined the line. Green, short-sleeved shirt, white pants. Not very far along."

Several more groups joined the line. Another pregnant woman walked up, accompanied by an older woman. They appeared to be holding hands. Matt looked carefully. Something wasn't right. "Hey, has anyone spotted this woman in the black blouse? She's gotta be eight months pregnant at least. And she's with a woman in a hat—it doesn't look right."

Lee looked at the monitor covering Matt's entrance_. Oh God, it can't be. Not Amanda!_ He zoomed in to double check. The resolution was a bit grainy, but he'd know his wife anywhere. "Granger, that's Amanda. Can you move in more closely? Maybe we can get her away from the woman before we take her down."

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Back at the bullpen, Francine was listening in on their conversation. She looked over at Sarah, who was waiting in Amanda's office. She put her hand on her assistant's shoulder. "Narelle, call in the bomb squad. They need to get as close as they can to the visitor entrances." Francine looked over at her other assistant. "Dava, get the capitol police on the phone. Alert them that the bomb threat is real. They will need to clear the Capitol grounds until we have the area under control." Francine called the Agency director herself.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Before Lee had finished speaking, Granger had walked towards the women. He stopped several feet behind them and peered at their hands again. Both of the women wore long sleeves, but he could just make out the handcuffs. "Chief, they're cuffed together. I can see the ends of cable ties."

Lee fought the urge to either swear or vomit. "They must have someone watching them. There may be someone with a remote for the detonator." Lee silently prayed that one of the agents would spot an enemy operative—now.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Amanda had been watching surreptitiously for agents. She had seen several at a distance, but was hoping to create a scene without anyone being shot. Marjan had told her that Birol's men would be keeping an eye on them, a sharpshooter possibly taking out any agent that came near. That would be the signal for Marjan to set off the bomb. The two women were drawing near the entrance. If they got too close to the doors, the sharpshooter would aim for Marjan—and set off the bomb for her. They would have to act soon.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Enriquez spotted a reflection coming from his left. He trained his binoculars on it, and saw another pair of binoculars looking at Granger and the women. "I have spotter on the lawn to the northeast."

"We'll have to hope that he isn't armed. He's too exposed. There must be a sniper somewhere."

One of the agents from Homeland spoke up. "Sir, I've got another spotter. He's on the lawn, southeast of the Visitor's Entrance. He's somewhat hidden by a tree from my vantage point. He's got a stroller and he's got a wide open shot at the women."

"Get one of your men over there and disarm him. Now."

Granger broke in. "Sir, the women are getting close to the entrance. I've got to move."

Lee hesitated.

"Sir?"

"Take out the pregnant woman, Granger. Enriquez, get over there and back him up. The bomb squad should be here any minute."

Matt walked quickly up to the women. Amanda spotted him out of the corner of her eye, but Marjan had not seen him.

Enriquez ran towards the south entrance. He glanced at the man to the southeast. He was pulling something out of the stroller. The agents running towards the gunman were too far away. Enriquez yelled into his mike as he tried to get to Matt and the women. "He's got a rifle. The man with the stroller has got a rifle."

As Matt reached Marjan, a shot rang out. Marjan fell to the ground, pulling Amanda on top of her. Amanda quickly rolled to one side and looked back at Marjan. She pulled off her hat and sunglasses.

Pandemonium reigned as shocked onlookers screamed. Some were yelling at Matt for attacking a pregnant woman.

"Mrs. Stetson, are you injured?"

Amanda shook her head, lifting her wrist and Marjan's towards Matt. "No. Cut me free." Matt knelt down, and pulling out a multi-tool, quickly snipped the cable ties binding her to Marjan.

Amanda grabbed his sleeve and whispered in his ear. "She's wearing a dirty bomb. You've got to get her out of here."

"I heard that, Granger. The bomb squad is coming." Lee stared at the monitor, hoping to catch a glimpse of Amanda. He strained to hear their conversation. His chest was tight and the muscles in his jaw tensed.

A blood stain was growing on Marjan's shoulder. Amanda ripped open the blouse and used some of the fabric to stanch the flow of blood.

Enriquez reached them as several other agents pushed the crowd away. Amanda spoke to Matt and Rene. "She was forced to wear the bomb. We've got to save her. What's the plan?"

"A bomb squad just pulled up. They can carry her to their vehicle. Once they disarm the bomb and remove it, they can get her medical help." As Enriquez was speaking, the bomb specialists, clad in their protective armor, rushed up.

Amanda stopped one of the men. "Her name is Marjan. She was forced to do this. Take care of her." She watched as Marjan was carried to their waiting vehicle.

Lee continued to watch the monitors anxiously and followed the updates from the other agents as they scrambled to bring the situation under control. The crowd made it nearly impossible to see Amanda. He fought the urge to rush to her, knowing that she would be safer if she was brought to him. "Granger-what's going on at your location?"

Matt quickly updated Lee.

"Get Amanda out of there, now. We've taken out or arrested four men. See if Amanda knows how many are here."

"Mrs. Stetson, we need to move you to a safer location." Matt gently took Amanda by the arm and led her as quickly as he could away from the crowd. "We've got four men. Do you know how many were here?"

"There were six, including Birol. He was going to monitor things in a van offsite—I guess he thought he could avoid any fallout that way."

Matt relayed the information to Lee, who Lee continued to check the monitors. He saw Matt leading Amanda towards his van, Enriquez following behind.

Without warning, the threesome fell to the ground, Matt shielding Amanda with his body.

"What the hell was that? Was there another shot? People, speak to me."

"Sorry, Chief. Mike trouble. A shot was fired. Looks like we have five men, now." One of Lee's agents was talking.

"We may have one more man out there. Birol was in a van offsite, but we don't know where he is now."

Lee heard something outside. He swung towards the door, surprised that Amanda would be there already. Agent Johnson started to say something. "Sir…"

Something was off. Lee shushed the agent and pulled his gun. The door swung open violently.

Adi Birol stood there, a semiautomatic weapon in his hands. The agent on watch outside the van lay sprawled on the ground. "I was hoping I'd find you here, Mr. Stetson. I saw your wife coming this way…" He sneered and gestured to Lee's weapon. "Why don't you put the gun down? You know that I will kill both of you before you can do much to me." Lee caught Johnson's eye and lowered his handgun. "Throw your weapons along the floor towards me."

When Lee and Johnson obeyed, Birol tossed the weapons outside and under the van. "Now the guns from your ankles."

Lee and Johnson hesitated a moment. "Now, gentlemen!" The secondary guns joined the others under the van. "Take off your mics." Lee and Johnson pulled their earpieces off and dropped them on the counter.

"Why did you come back here, Birol?"

"When I saw that my assigned objective had failed, I decided to make sure my personal one succeeded. I want you. Come with me. Now, Scarecrow."

Lee got up from his seat, bending his head so he could walk towards the door. Hoping to disable Birol with a kick, he was disappointed. Birol carefully kept out of reach. Lee descended the steps, Johnson following. As Johnson stepped onto the pavement, Birol hit him on the head with the butt of the gun. The unconscious agent joined his colleague on the ground. Birol motioned to Lee. "Move. Quickly. Towards the street."

"How did you get that weapon on the Hill?"

"It wasn't as hard as you'd think. Shut up and move quickly, or I'll just shoot you now." 

Matt, Amanda, and Enriquez had gotten back up and were nearing Lee's location. Since the Capitol police had cordoned off the area and evacuated much of the grounds, the plaza was devoid of people—except for the two men sprawled on the pavement and the other two who were quickly moving away from the surveillance van.

"That's Lee—and Birol has an AK-47 pointed at him!" Amanda started towards them, but Enriquez put a hand on her arm.

Birol, sensing the small group behind him, turned around and backed up so he could maintain an advantage over them. "Drop your weapons—and I know you have two each. Quickly. Kick them under the van." The agents obeyed.

"Now, you are going to let me leave with Scarecrow. If you try anything, I will kill him instantly."

What little color Amanda had drained from her face. She felt weak and struggled to remain standing.

Lee looked at her, willing her to understand his expression. _I'll be okay._

"Let's go, Scarecrow." Birol used the weapon to spur Lee along. They moved away, Birol doing his best to keep an eye on everyone.

Enriquez's voice was barely audible. "Granger, he's outnumbered and he knows it."

Efraim broke in over the radio. "Enriquez, what's going on?"

Before Enriquez could respond, Matt had pulled out his multi-use tool, quickly locking the knife into position. He ran a few steps to one side and threw it as hard as he could at Birol, aiming for his back.

Birol heard the footsteps behind him. Turning his head toward the sound, he felt a searing pain in his back and his gun clattered to the sidewalk. Lee turned around to see Birol fall to the ground, the tool protruding from his back. Birol was bleeding profusely.

Lee and Matt walked up to Birol. "Remind me never to make you angry, Granger."

Matt felt for a pulse. There was none.

"Chief!"

Lee looked towards Enriquez, who was trying to keep Amanda from collapsing to the ground. Lee ran over and took her in his arms. "Amanda!" She was unconscious. Her skin was pale, but it appeared that she had only fainted. Lee managed to pick her up.

"I'll get her to the van. I have some water in there. Enriquez, tell Beaman that I need him to take over here. And get some paramedics over here for these guys."

Enriquez relayed the message to Beaman, and then looked at Matt. He was standing over Birol, staring at him. Enriquez went to him. "It's never easy, is it?"

Matt looked at Enriquez. "No. And this guy was an animal." He looked at the van. _This is why you signed up, Granger. Now it's real._

Enriquez nodded, then gestured towards the downed agents. They could hear the ambulance coming in the distance. "Let's see what we can do for these guys. They're out cold."

Lee had carried Amanda the short distance to the van and laid her on the floor inside. He took off his jacket and put it under her head. Reaching for a water bottle, Lee wet a handkerchief and dabbed at Amanda's face. She moaned.

"Amanda, wake up. You're okay now. You're with me."

Amanda's eyes fluttered open. "Lee?" Confused, Amanda tried to re-orient herself. "Oh, Lee!"

Lee held Amanda close, caressing her back and whispering calming words in her ear. Her body shook as she sobbed. "I thought I was going to lose you, Lee."

Lee waited until Amanda was quiet. He offered her the water. "Drink this." Lee helped her sit up all the way. Realizing how terribly thirsty she was, Amanda gulped it down.

"Hey, take it easy. You don't want it coming back up. You know, I should probably have the paramedics look at you, too."

"No, Lee, please don't. I just need to be with you right now."

"I feel the same way." Lee hesitated, then spoke. "Birol is dead, Amanda. He will never torture you—us—again."

Amanda shuddered. "I know. I could tell he was dead when he hit the ground." She started to sway, and the room spun. "Oooh."

Lee held Amanda again. "Just rest for a minute. You're probably dehydrated. We both know you're exhausted. We'll sit here for a little bit, and then I'll have the paramedics take a quick look at you."

Amanda rested her head against Lee's chest. "Lee, the suicide bomber was being forced to do it. Her family is in Iraq. They're being threatened. I want to help her."

"Whoa, let's get you fixed up, first. Besides, she's going to be busy for awhile."

Lee stroked Amanda's hair. She rested quietly and sipped the water. Lee looked down at her. He touched her cheek where a slight bruise had formed from Adi's slap. His jaw clenched. His eyes scanned her body. Amanda's jacket and blouse were dirty, and her skirt had torn a little. _Maybe it's from her fall just now._ His eyes continued to travel down her legs. A bruise had formed on her knee, and her stockings were in tatters.

Lee looked up at the roof of the van, forcing himself to stay calm. He took a deep breath. "Amanda, it looks like you took a fall or two."

"The guards were kind of rough, but not that bad. I stumbled on the stairs."

Lee grimaced. "Were you hurt in any other way?" he asked quietly.

"No." Amanda looked up at Lee, willing him to believe her with her eyes. "Lee, he scared me a little, but he barely touched me."

Lee caressed her face. "This bruise says otherwise."

"He put his hand on my leg, and he slapped me once. That was it. He said I was not his type. He likes younger women."

Lee relaxed a little. "Liked. Hey, let's get you checked out quickly. We still have to go to the Agency before I can take you home."

"Wait, Lee. I need to say something." Amanda looked down. "I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you—that I insisted upon going home. I should have stayed at the Agency. I endangered Smith and Chang, and I know I caused you a lot of heartache." Amanda looked up into Lee's eyes. They glistened with unshed tears. He quickly wiped them away.

"Amanda, I couldn't hold you there captive. You wanted to be with Sarah. We can't let these terrorists stop us from living our lives. Besides, our prayers were answered. You're safe, now—and Smith and Chang are fine."

"Still, Lee…"

"Oh, I almost forgot." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Amanda's necklace. She bent her head and moved her hair aside so Lee could clasp it around her neck once again.

It was Amanda's turn to have her eyes well up with tears. "Oh, you found it. I'm so glad. I wanted to somehow let you know that I'd be okay." When he was done with the necklace, she looked back up at him.

Lee leaned down and kissed her gently. His voice was husky with emotion. "I love you, Amanda, and I'm so glad to have you back." He held her tightly for a few moments before slowly helping her to her feet.


	9. Chapter 9

Déjà Vu

Chapter Nine-Epilogue

Lee leaned against the doorjamb, a glass of wine in his hand, and watched his wife and daughter prepare dinner. He had hardly left Amanda's side for the last four days. While Amanda had quickly recovered from a case of mild dehydration and exhaustion, it was going to take some time for them both to recover from the emotional trauma of her kidnapping and Birol's death. This dinner was a step in the right direction. _Amanda is in her element, preparing food for others._ Lee chuckled to himself. _And I'm in my element, just watching my lovely wife._

Amanda and Sarah both looked up. Lee smiled at the women and took a sip of wine. When Sarah turned away, he raised his eyebrows suggestively at his wife and gave her one of those dimpled grins he had used on her when they were first married. Lee enjoyed watching Amanda's cheeks flush pink in response. _Later, Scarecrow_, she mouthed_._ She smiled, shook her head, and went back to making the salad. The doorbell rang.

Relieved to get away from the two lovebirds, Sarah went to the door. Still nervous from her experiences over the last week, she checked the peephole and opened it.

"Hi, Matt! You're right on time." Sarah stepped back so Matt could enter. "Isn't it nice to be invited into a Stetson home for a change?" She spoke low so only Matt could hear.

He laughed nervously. "You aren't going to let me live that down, are you?"

Sarah laughed, too. "No! Not after I found out that you had also been in my apartment on campus." At his expression, she softened her tone, "Oh, it's okay. I just couldn't resist a little joke. Come on in to the kitchen."

Matt relaxed a somewhat. He was still not comfortable around Chief Stetson, but Amanda had insisted upon having him over.

Lee held out his hand to shake Matt's as he stepped into the den. "Hi, Granger. Glad you could come."

"Hello, Matt. Dinner will be ready in just a minute." Amanda was tossing the salad. "Would you like some wine with dinner?"

"Yes, please." _I need something to calm my nerves._

Sarah took the bottle to the dining room.

Amanda picked up the salad. "Let's eat. Lee, can you grab that dish over there?"

Lee picked up the mashed potatoes and followed everyone into the dining room. Sarah helped Matt find his seat.

After grace, the food was passed, and everyone made small talk as they ate. Eventually Amanda and Sarah removed the dishes and brought out the dessert and coffee. As the two women settled back down at the table, Lee cleared his throat. "Look, Matt, I have plans to give you a commendation for your quick thinking the other day. But we also wanted to have a chance to personally thank you for all that you did for our family last week."

Matt sat quietly, afraid to interrupt the section chief.

"You may have caused some trouble for Sarah by trying to use her as a mule, but you also protected her from enemy operatives more than once. I can't even begin to thank you for your help in rescuing Amanda and saving me."

Sarah spoke softly. "Mom never has to worry about Birol again."

Matt's face held a pained expression, and he looked down.

At Matt's reaction to her remark, Sarah wished she could swallow her words.

Amanda put a hand on top of Sarah's and spoke. "Matt, I'm sorry about what you had to do to Birol. I know from your file that it was the first time you've had to kill anyone—at least in that kind of situation. Thank you for thinking fast and for being brave enough to do it."

Matt looked up at Amanda, then Sarah. "It's part of what I signed up for. I guess it had to come sooner or later." Seeing the sober faces around the table, he made an attempt to be lighthearted. "I never imagined that my track and field experience would come in handy so much on this job."

Everyone chuckled at the remark, and then the table was quiet for a moment. Lee finally cleared his throat. "Amanda, maybe this would be a good time to tell the story about how we met."

"Dad, I've heard the story before. Mom needed a job, and the Agency hired her."

Amanda glanced over at Lee, and then at Sarah and Matt. She knew things were rocky for Sarah and Jeff, and she was concerned about making Sarah and Matt feel as if she was pushing them together. "Sarah, we never told you the entire story. I did need a job, but until I met your father, I'd never heard of the Agency. Now, Matt. I should warn you. This may seem a little—ah, well... just please don't get the wrong idea. Lee and I thought you two might like to hear the story, that's all."

Lee rolled his eyes and smiled. The rambling was back. It was a good sign. "A-man-da."

"Okay, okay, I'll get started… One day, I was taking a friend to the train station—"

"Wasn't his name Don? Or Dan?" Lee interrupted.

"—I was taking _Dean_ to the train station, and once I'd said goodbye, I started back down the platform towards the parking lot. Suddenly, a man in a white waiter's uniform grabbed me by the arm. He pleaded with me to help him. I looked around for—"

"—Don?"

Sarah snickered. She'd heard this banter about Dean before. It was a family joke. "Daddy, you know it's Dean. Let Mom tell the story."

Lee pretended to be confused and looked at Amanda, who rolled her eyes.

Matt wasn't sure what to make of the interchange. He had never seen the chief like this. _Maybe _

_the guy is okay after all. _He wasn't sure if it was the wine, but he wasn't nervous anymore.

"—_Dean_ was already on his train, so I knew I was on my own. I tried to get away from the strange man, but he was desperate for help. He pleaded with me. I looked into his eyes, and decided to take a chance."

When Lee smiled at Amanda, Matt was pretty certain from the section chief's expression that he had been looking into her eyes at the time, too. Finding himself enjoying this side of the chief, Matt relaxed further.

"He asked me to take a package and give it to the man on the train—the man with the red hat. I was beginning to doubt my sanity. After all, I'd left the house in such a hurry, I was only wearing a nightgown under my coat. I was really wishing I'd said goodbye to Dean the night before at that point. Anyway, the man ran off, and I stepped up onto the train. Before I went inside, I saw him get tackled by two nasty looking men."

Amanda took a sip of coffee. "You'll never guess what I saw inside the train car."

Sarah had been rather dumbfounded at the similarities to her story. She looked over at Matt, who looked like he felt the same way. "A bunch of people in red hats?"

"Yes. The car was a sea of red hats. I tried to turn around and get off, but the conductor was already there, and the train was moving. I had to buy a ticket, go to the next stop, and change trains. It took me forever to get home. You should have heard Grandma go on."

"What did you do with the package, Mom?"

"I made plans to mail it. Later that day, I was ordering food for your brothers and some friends at a drive-in, and who pops his head in my window, but that strange man again! I drove off as fast as I could, but he managed to stick his card under my windshield wiper.

"Well, I finally got up the nerve to call him. He asked me to meet him at some kind of event. Oh my, but was I underdressed for that one." She smirked disapprovingly at Lee, who grinned back. "It was a formal masquerade party. The man wore a tuxedo, and I had on slacks and a sweater. He invited me to dance. I still can't believe I went out on that dance floor. At this point I figured I was in over my head. I didn't know if this guy was mafia or what. Imagine my surprise when I found out he was a spy!"

"Intelligence operative."

Matt and Sarah glanced at each other, then over at Lee at the same time. He sat there with a smirk on his face. _Surely the man couldn't have been…_

"I didn't have the package, because I didn't trust the man and I thought I could use it as leverage or something. Little did I know that Grandma had mailed it. We tried to get it back, but since it is illegal to break into the post office, that didn't go well."

Matt raised his eyebrows. _And I thought I'd be in trouble…_

"Tell how you got the information, Amanda. Didn't you have Dan over, or something?"

Amanda ignored Lee. "I went back to my life, and the man in the tuxedo went back to his. The next evening, Dean had come over for a date, when Phillip and Jamie came into the living room. Phillip confessed that he had opened the package before Grandma had mailed it. A card with a coded message had fallen out of the music box that was inside. He told me what it said—Phillip has always had a good memory. I tried to give the message to the people who worked with my 'spy,' but they couldn't make heads or tails of it. Once again, I went back to being a mother."

"A den mother." Lee grinned again.

Amanda glanced at him, but she was too intent in telling the story to allow Lee's teasing to bother her. "Yes, well, I took the boys' troop on a field trip to the TV station after I recognized the codes on the card as recipe names from one of Grandma's cooking shows. That led me to the house where the filming was done, and I was able to rescue my spy friend."

"And fly a helicopter." Now Lee was beaming pridefully at Amanda.

"Mom! You flew a helicopter? I thought only Daddy knew how to fly one. How on earth?"

"Your father told me what to do. I would say it was the most interesting ride he's ever had, other than the times he had to hang onto the side of one."

Despite his pride in his wife, Lee rolled his eyes. "At the time I did not really appreciate how brave your mother had been, coming to rescue me _and_ having to fly a helicopter—when she had never even been in one before."

"It _was_ Daddy. I was guessing it was him. You wouldn't have bothered telling all those details if it hadn't been him."

Matt smiled at Sarah's delight in the story. "Mrs. Stetson, how long ago was this?"

"It's been about twenty-eight years."

Lee regarded Matt, his eyes twinkling. "I'm sure you picked up on the similarity between our methods, Granger."

"Should I assume that's why you were easy on me, Chief?"

"Well, let's just say I can't exactly get after someone who uses the Stetson methods. I wasn't the first one in my family to use a cute girl to rescue my hide."

"Daddy!"

Matt was defensive. "Hey, I had no idea who was in the car. I could only make out that the driver was alone, and probably a female. You were able to make an assessment first."

Lee stared up at the ceiling for a moment and tapped his fingers on the table, contemplating. "True. Maybe I should get after you on that one."

When Matt's expression changed, Lee laughed. "I'm kidding, Granger. Listen, I should finish this story. It's getting late."

Lee glanced over at Amanda before continuing. She nodded her encouragement.

"Sarah, you know I have that diary of my mother's. I never told you, but she wrote a letter to me telling me how she and my father met. He was in army intelligence during the war, stationed in London. One night, he was running from some enemy operatives and was desperate to pass the information he had off, so the enemy would not get it. He stopped an English woman and asked for her help. She refused at first, but he persisted. So, she took the envelope. The woman eventually became his wife and my mother."

Sarah's mouth had dropped open. "You're kidding, Daddy. Your parents met the same way you and Mom met? Why haven't you told me this before?"

"I guess we have always wanted to protect you and keep you from being fascinated with our work."

"Daddy, I understand that you and Mom are in a dangerous business. You've always tried to protect me. After this week, I can see why." Sarah involuntarily shuddered.

Matt cleared his throat. "Thank you for sharing your story with me, Chief, Mrs. Stetson. That's quite a legacy you have."

Amanda pushed back her chair, and they all got up from the table.

"Mrs. Stetson, I don't want to overstay my welcome. Thank you for the dinner. It was delicious. I really enjoyed the wine, too."

"That's Lee's doing. He's quite a connoisseur."

"It was very good. Thank you. Can I help you clear the dishes before I go?"

"You're welcome, Granger. We're all glad you could come. Look, don't worry about the dishes. Amanda and I will get them."

"Well, good night then."

Lee and Amanda spoke together. "Good night!"

Lee helped Amanda carry the dishes to the kitchen. He began rinsing the cups and plates while she put the food away.

Matt watched them briefly. It wasn't just chance that had brought them together. _They were meant for each other. _Matt wondered if he would ever have that someday.

Sarah followed his gaze before going with Matt to the door. "I had no idea that my parents met the same way we did, Matt. I hope you weren't embarrassed."

"No, not at all. It's a nice story."

"Still, I don't want you to think that they are throwing us together or something." Sarah hoped that she had not gone too far. _I just don't want him to feel like we expect something…_

Matt hesitated, not sure what to say. "Uh, well, I know you have a boyfriend. I didn't take it that way."

"Oh, that's right. You met Jeff."

Matt couldn't read her expression, but Sarah didn't look happy. He changed the subject. _It's now or never, Granger._

"Listen, I had a great evening. Maybe sometime we could meet on your lunch break—get a sandwich or something. I'm still getting to know people here…"

"That would be nice. Do you have your cell phone? I could give you my number."

A thrill ran through Matt's body. _She wants to be friends. She's giving me her number._ He pulled out his phone and willed his hands to remain steady as she gave him the number and he punched it in. He put the phone back in his pocket.

"Well, good night." Sarah opened the door, and Matt stepped out.

"Good night, Sarah." Matt turned and went down the walk. He looked back and waved when he reached the gate.

At his expression, Sarah felt her heart skip a beat. She waved back, then closed the door and leaned against it and whispered, "I would love to have lunch with you, Matt Granger."


End file.
